Online message – Tuesday 08/08/2023
caution trap | Attempted fraud on behalf of the BZSt
The BZSt is currently pointing out two cases in which fraudsters are trying to get information from taxpayers by means of SMS or e-mails.
In the first case, scammers ship
SMS with the indication that your own “tax” would have been corrected and you would get money back. Then you will be asked to open the online portal to accept this deposit. The BZSt expressly warns against reacting to these fraudulent SMS or accepting the deposit.
In the second case scammers ship
E-Mails, in which it is claimed that the BZSt has commissioned an “Action Refund Ltd” to pay out compensation and that the recipient is entitled to compensation. In the next step, the mail recipient is asked to verify himself. Don’t do this! The BZSt expressly warns against reacting to this fraudulent e-mail or opening the links provided in the e-mail.
You can recognize fraudulent SMS by the following criteria, among others:
The BZSt only sends tax assessments and payment requests by letter, never by SMS.
Payments are to be made without exception by bank transfer to a domestic account of the Federal Treasury.
The fakes are often written in bad German with spelling mistakes. Technical terms are often used incorrectly.
Genuine notifications always bear the name and telephone number of the responsible processor.
You can recognize fraudulent e-mails by the following criteria, among others:
Tax assessments and payment requests are only sent by the BZSt by letter, never by e-mail. Something else only applies if you have expressly consented to being contacted by email.
Payments are to be made without exception by bank transfer to a domestic account of the Federal Treasury.
The fakes are often written in bad German with spelling mistakes. Technical terms are often used incorrectly.
Genuine notifications always bear the name and telephone number of the responsible processor.
The BZSt will never ask you to follow a sent link and fill out a form to pay an alleged tax liability.
A notice:
Since the BZSt has a strong interest in ensuring that nobody is harmed by such fraudulent forgeries, recipients of such messages ask it to contact the BZSt if they have the slightest suspicion. Help to uncover such counterfeits and send suspicious e-mails and, if necessary, further information with your contact details to the BZSt. You will receive feedback on how best to behave.
Phone: +49 (0)228 406 – 0
Fax: +49 (0)228 406 – 2661
E-Mail:
[email protected]
De-Mail: [email protected]
Postal address: Federal Central Tax Office, 53221 Bonn
Those: BZSt online, reports from July 31, 2023 and August 1, 2023 (il)
Source(s):
NWB NAAAJ-45733