How the scam works
A text or email claims Revenue has calculated a refund for you — usually a specific, believable amount like €389.50 — and asks you to confirm your bank details or PPS number through a link to receive it. The link leads to a cloned Revenue-style page that harvests everything a fraudster needs: card details, PPS number, sometimes myAccount login credentials.
These spike around tax deadlines and at the start of the year when people genuinely expect balancing statements, but they run year-round. The amounts are deliberately modest — large enough to be worth claiming, small enough to feel plausible.
What the scam looks like
The one rule that settles it
Revenue never notifies you of a refund by text, and never asks for bank details through a link. Genuine refunds are handled through your Revenue myAccount — refunds are paid to the bank account already registered there, without anyone asking you to "confirm" details through a message.
How to check safely
Open revenue.ie yourself — type it, don't tap — and log in to myAccount. If a refund is genuinely due, it will show there. Anything a message claims that myAccount doesn't confirm is a scam. If you've entered details on a fake page, contact your bank immediately, and if you shared your PPS number, be alert for identity fraud attempts in the following months.
Got one of these messages?
Don't guess. Paste it into the free Scam-Less checker and get a verdict with a plain-English explanation in seconds.
Check it now — freeCommon questions
Does Revenue ever send texts?
Revenue may send some service messages, but it never tells you about a refund by text or email, and never asks you to provide or confirm bank details, card numbers or PPS details through a link. Refund claims happen only through your myAccount on revenue.ie.
The message knew my name. Doesn't that mean it's real?
No. Scammers routinely include names and other details from data breaches to look convincing. Personalisation is not proof — the payment link is what matters, and Revenue never sends one.
How do I claim a genuine tax refund?
Log in to myAccount at revenue.ie and submit or review your return there. Genuine overpayments are refunded to your registered bank account. If you're unsure about a message, paste it into the free Scam-Less checker first.