The Cyber Security Center warns of ongoing scams related to the Omavero service. Seniors are also targeted by persistent fishing campaigns.
There are a lot of scam messages circulating in the name of the self-tax service, the Cyber Security Center warns. Anu Kivistö
The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom’s Cybersecurity Center warns in his weekly review scams related to the taxpayer’s Self-Tax service, which have shown no signs of abating.
The Cyber Security Center says that it has received numerous notifications about messages sent by fake tax collectors in the past week as well.
Finns have been approached, among other things, with messages that tell about problems related to tax refunds or paying taxes. According to the Cybersecurity Center, the links in the messages have led to a phishing website imitating the pages of the tax authority.
– They ask to log in to the fake website in question using bank credentials.
Senior citizens repeatedly targeted
Another recurring theme in the scam messages during January has been fishing related to the payment of pensions. In these messages, it is claimed that the recipient’s pension is at risk.
– Criminals try to influence their targets by making use of current money-related themes and emphasizing the urgency of issues, warns the Cyber Security Center.
In fishing messages sent by e-mail, the sender is disguised to look like Omavero.
– This may also make the target believe that the message is actually coming from the tax authority.
Identify the scam
The Cybersecurity Center’s instructions for identifying scam messages
- Neither the tax authority nor the banks send links to their sites, but instead ask to log in to the service from the official site. Avoid opening links in messages.
- If you open a link, always check the correct address of the site in the address bar. The address of the scam site may resemble the address of the official site, but small details will tell the difference.
- Don’t fall for the sense of urgency created in the message. Keep a cool head and calmly check if there is anything fraudulent in the message.
- If you are not sure of the authenticity of the message, you can always verify it by calling the customer service of the party that appears as the sender.
- If you entered your bank ID on a phishing website, contact your bank immediately and file a criminal complaint.
Source: Cyber Security Center