The board said in a statement today that any tax-related matter would not be discussed through phone calls, but instead through official letters or emails using the @hasil.gov.my domain.

Quoting police data from Jan 1 to Jan 27, the board said 556 cases were investigated, involving losses of more than RM15.26 million.

The syndicate members pose as LHDN officers and contact victims by phone, asking them to pay for purported “outstanding tax arrears”. The call will then be connected to another member posing as police personnel or officers from Bank Negara Malaysia or other enforcement agencies, asking the victims to lodge an official report, said the statement.

The victims will also be told they are involved in money laundering, drugs or other criminal activities which will cause them to panic before they are asked to provide their banking details including transaction codes or one-time PIN numbers.

The victims only realise they had been conned after money from their bank accounts had been transferred to a third party.