Police Probe Fraud After Fake MRA Certificate Used in 2025 Online Scam

Police have launched a formal investigation into a “forgery and use of forged documents” case involving a sophisticated scam falsely using the name of the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA). The alarm was raised after a high-ranking MRA official discovered a falsified income tax certificate circulating on WhatsApp.

On 18 December 2025, the official was sent the document—which remarkably bore his own signature—via his wife’s phone.

Anatomy of the Forgery

Internal verification quickly confirmed the document was a crude imitation of a legitimate certificate originally issued in August 2023.

While the template was real, the version currently in circulation has been heavily altered.

Investigators noted several glaring inconsistencies and suspicious elements on the counterfeit document, including:

• The absence of a valid tax account number or holder’s name.
• The unauthorised use of the Government Gazette of Mauritius logo.
• A photograph of an unidentified individual.
• An official MRA watermark.

The “Gold and iPhone” Lure

The fraudulent certificate appears to be part of a broader “advance-fee” scam. Messages accompanying the document claim that a shipment containing £6,000 worth of gold jewellery and an iPhone 14 Pro Max has arrived in Mauritius.

Targets are instructed to pay a fee of Rs 2,780 for the “registration” of these luxury goods. To lower the victim’s guard, the scammers falsely claim the payment is fully refundable within 15 minutes.

Official Status: The MRA has confirmed that while the original base document was issued following a legitimate request in 2023, the current version is a fraudulent alteration.

Police are currently working to identify the perpetrators behind the scam.

Source: l’Express