The police warn of fraudulent messages circulating in the name of the tax administration.
Criminals are now impersonating the IRS. PDO
The police say in their press release that they received several scams related to tax refunds in the name of the tax administration during July.
Scam messages are sent via text message or email and contain a link to a scam website. On the scam site, the recipient is asked to enter online banking credentials, which thus end up directly with criminals.
– Such a message should be deleted immediately and not opened. If you have opened the message, do not open the attachments or links in it, because you can get malware on your computer from them, the police advises.
The police also remind you that you should never hand over bank ID, card or personal information if you are not sure of the recipient.
– Authorities, financial institutions or other competent parties never ask for such information by phone, e-mail or text message.
There have been similar scam campaigns in the past as well. The messages have been made to look genuine by using the logo of the tax administration and an official design.
The Tax Administration has previously stated in its announcement that it never asks for credit card information or bank IDs, as it does not need this information. The Tax Administration also never sends customers a tax decision or any related information by e-mail.
– If you receive a message by e-mail that looks like a tax refund decision, it is therefore a scam, the website of the Tax Administration says.
Remember the instructions
The police shared instructions on how to protect yourself from data breaches. The police also urge organizations to be careful with scam messages and to ensure that employees are aware of the company’s payment practices.
Remember these guidelines to improve your data security:
- Keep software and systems up to date.
- Use multi-factor authentication.
- Do not use the same passwords in several different services.
- Remember the backups.
If you have been the victim of a scam, the police urges you to file a criminal report and notify the Cybersecurity Center of the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority.