The taxman reminds that the approaching tax declaration season will probably also be reflected in the number of scam messages.
The Tax Administration says that the number of scam messages sent in its name has increased significantly over the past couple of years.
Nowadays, fraudsters are well informed, for example, about the start of the tax declaration season, the tax authority points out in its announcement. It therefore considers it likely that during the spring there will again be plenty of scam messages related to tax declarations.
Individuals’ pre-filled tax returns arrive at Omavero no earlier than February 23, but no later than March 28.
The link reveals the scammer
The taxman reminds that a genuine message sent by the Tax Administration never contains links. In addition, one of the names registered by the taxpayer, i.e. Vero, Skatt or Vero-Skatt, appears as the sender.
If the taxpayer’s text message comes from other than these senders, for example from an unknown phone number, or contains a link, it is a scam according to the Tax Administration.
Do not give your bank credentials to a scammer
A scam message sent by a fake tax official typically aims to entice the recipient to click on a link in the message. Often, the message aims to create a sense of urgency by appealing, for example, to some change related to tax information or tax refunds.
The link usually leads to a scam site where the user is asked to identify themselves with online banking credentials using a genuine-looking but fake tool.
If the user gives their bank ID to a fraudulent website, the user may give criminals access to their online bank.
In a press release, Deputy Director of the Tax Administration Jaakko Nummijärvi hopes that citizens would not go to Omavero through, for example, search engines, because among the results they have given there have been links to scam pages that look genuine.
– It is important that when people go to check their pre-filled tax return, they go to Omavero by typing the address of the service in the address bar of the web browser vero.fi/omaveroNummijärvi states.
– You should never click on a link sent by text message, and there are no such links in genuine messages sent by the Tax Administration, says Deputy Director of the Tax Administration Jaakko Nummijärvi.
If you received a message that you suspect is a scam, do not open the link in it, but delete the message. If you suspect that you have given your information to a fraudulent website, contact your bank immediately to block your bank ID and bank card. The taxman also urges you to file a criminal complaint.
It is good to report scam messages Traficom’s Cybersecurity Center.
Source: Tax Administration