RIYADH: The Saudi Cultural Attaché in the United States has warned Saudi students against paying fake taxes. In its statement, the attaché said there are some people who pose as tax officers who claim they work for the US Tax Agency and ask students to pay taxes. The Saudi Cultural Attaché in Canada has sent a similar warning to Saudi students in Canada and explained to them the Canadian tax system. In Canada, a Saudi doctor will be exempt from paying any taxes for the monthly stipend he gets from the Saudi attaché. Dr. Muhammad Al-Issa, Saudi cultural attaché in the US, said many Saudi students complained that they had received several phone calls from people who claimed to be tax officers, asking them for money. The US Tax Agency does not call people and ask them to pay taxes, he said, warning that all Saudi students who get such calls should ignore them and refrain from giving away any personal or bank information to the caller and hang up immediately.
Over 5,000 American victims fell for these calls and ended up being conned out of money. Reports showed that over 896,000 fake calls have been recorded lately and more than 26.5 million have been conned out of many people, according the US Treasury Department. A large number of people fell for the trick because the callers use phone numbers almost similar to the ones of the US Tax Agency landlines. The Saudi Cultural Attaché in Canada and the Canadian tax authorities are working together to ensure that Saudi doctors studying in Canada are exempt totally from taxes. Saudi doctors who receive any tax forms should make a photocopy of the letter that shows he is exempt from taxes because his income comes from the Saudi government and send it together with the forms to the pertinent tax office in Canada. However, if the doctor receives any benefits from the hospital, he will lose the exemption status and will have to pay taxes in this case.
