The start of the 2022 income campaign has reawakened the appetite of scammers. The National Police has detected the sending of fraudulent messages in which the Tax Agency is impersonated with the intention of stealing taxpayer data. As in previous years, "the 2022 rental campaign begins and you may receive a fraudulent message," it is warned.
As the police force has alerted in their networks, one of them is a message that promises a refund of 244.79 euros, without further details, followed by a link to a supposed form that is actually a page where the user data. "Already thinking about the income statement? Scammers too. Be very careful with fraudulent messages by email and SMS," the Police advise.
The message has been shared from the official profiles a couple of times in the last few hours, coinciding with the kick-off of the campaign to liquidate the 2022 personal income tax. The scammers are playing with the desire of taxpayers to achieve a quick return in the first hours of campaign. "I qualify you for a tax refund, in the amount of 244.79. Find your form on the website," the fraudulent SMS read.
As in other scams, inconsistencies are detected that lead to suspicion. The message is not sent from an official profile, it contains errors, the taxpayer is not identified, it does not indicate whether the amount is euros, and it closes with a shortened link to an address that has nothing to do with the Tax Agency. "Cyberbad guys rub their hands. Don't mess around and go to the official website," the Police launched.
SMS is a fraud attempt using the smishing method, which consists of impersonating a public institution, bank or other organization to steal personal or bank data. Once with them, fraudulent operations are carried out or the account is emptied.
The rental campaign, together with times of strong purchases such as Black Friday or Christmas, usually brings a rise in scam attempts. From the Police it is advisable to report in case of receiving or being a victim of this type of scam.
