Warning of a fake email from the “Tax Administration”
As our cooperation partner Watchlist Internet warns, Internet users are receiving a fake email from the Ministry of Finance.
It has the subject line “Your Tax Refund.” It states that a recent tax refund to recipients failed. For this reason, they are supposed to provide personal banking information on an unknown website. Users transmit these to criminals and become victims of data theft.
Internet users receive a fake email from the Federal Ministry of Finance. It has the subject line “Your Tax Refund.” It states that a recent tax refund to recipients failed:
The email as text:
Tax Administration
We hereby inform you that a recent attempt to make a refund to the account known to us failed.
Please log in to your tax refund portal to process the refund manually.
During the process, you can update the account information you provided. Payment date: June 21, 2018
Invoice number: BMF/09WX0091/AT009
Amount: €1,850.00 EUR
NOTE : This email is considered the official billing receipt for this repayment.
Tax administration
We hereby inform you that a recent attempt to make a refund to the account known to us failed.
Please log in to your tax refund portal to process the refund manually. During the process, you can update the account information you provided.
Payment date: June 21, 2018
Invoice number: BMF/09WX0091/AT009
Amount: €1,850.00 EURNOTE: This email is considered the official billing receipt for this refund.
What's next?
Recipients who want to update their account information end up on an unknown website.
It imitates Finanzonline.at and requests personal data from visitors, such as their name, address or telephone number:
A fake Finanzonline.at website. Source: Watchlist Internet
Visitors who provide the requested data are redirected to a page that asks them which bank they are customers of:
A fake Finanzonline.at website. Source: Watchlist Internet
Depending on which bank visitors name, a fake bank website appears. It asks for the user number and PIN from users:
A fake Bank Austria website. Source: Watchlist Internet
Internet users who provide the requested information become victims of data theft and can expect to lose money and criminals commit crimes under their name.
How do you recognize the fake Treasury message?
The alleged Treasury email is not real. You can see this from the following points, among others:
- The Treasury Department does not send emails informing taxpayers that they will receive a tax refund. For this reason, the content of the message can already be recognized as dubious.
- The phishing email does not appeal to recipients. This is an indication that this is a standardized circular that is intended to reach the largest possible group of recipients. Serious messages always identify recipients directly by name.
- Consumers who hover their computer mouse over the “update account information” link see that it leads to an external website.
A dialog window shows which website the link in the fake Finanzonline.at email redirects to. Source: Watchlist Internet
Did you fall for the fake Finanzonline.at message?
Once you have provided your personal information, contact your bank immediately. Explain to her that you have become a victim of data theft and discuss with her how to proceed to prevent damage.
File a criminal complaint with the police.
The Internet Watchlist recommends:
Do not respond to any fake Finanzonline.at messages and move them to your spam folder! This means that you will no longer receive similar messages in the future!
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Notes:
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