Online message – Friday 08/11/2023
caution trap | Scammers send emails in the name of the “General Directorate of Finance” (FinMin)
Currently, scammers are sending emails in the name of the Directorate-General for Finance. The Thuringian Ministry of Finance points this out.
In the text of the e-mail, the presumed main office of the German tax authorities asked them to read the attached document after a tax audit. The wrong letter contains the logo of the Federal Ministry of Finance. The scammers claim that the recipients of the emails have received several reports of tax fraud. The letter also reads as follows: “You actually committed this tax evasion, in accordance with the provisions of Articles 156 to 168 of the General Tax Code.” The fraudsters demand that a sum of money be transferred and, in the event of non-payment, threaten to confiscate the property and prosecute.
The financial administration expressly warns against following these instructions. Under no circumstances should the document attached to the e-mail be downloaded or even opened. Conceptually, there is neither a Directorate-General for Finances nor a general tax code in the Federal Republic of Germany. The letter attached to the e-mail is signed by the head of the Federal Financial Inspection Service. This office does not exist in the Federal Republic either.
It should also be noted that the tax office always sends payment requests in writing, exclusively by post or via the personal ELSTER user account to taxpayers, never by email, SMS or WhatsApp.
A notice:
Fraudsters often use several ways to get hold of citizens’ data. Those affected should contact the local police station in such cases.
Those: Thuringian Ministry of Finance,
press release v. 8/10/2023
(il)
Source(s):
NWB UAAAJ-45988