Currently, many people receive an SMS with a link because, as in this case, EUR 142.63 is supposedly due. It is this SMS with the words: “Due to a technical error in your tax certificate from 2022, €142.63 is due for the year in question .

Screenshot of the SMS with: "Due to a technical error in your tax certificate from 2022, €142.63 is due for that year"
Screenshot of the SMS with: “Due to a technical error in your tax certificate from 2022, €142.63 is due for the year in question”

Fake: There was no technical error in your tax certificate

Danger! This SMS did not come from the responsible tax office, but was sent by fraudsters. Especially because the tax office generally does not send SMS messages and certainly not with the number +33 6 14 22 75 35. The country code +33 belongs to France.

If you click or tap on the link in the SMS, you end up, as in this case, on a fake tax office page. Even if it looks like it is “finanzonline.at”, then please DO NOT be DECEIVED. Supposedly you should “file a claim” because there was an error in your tax return. But that is not the case.

The aim of the scam is to get users to enter private data and credit card information into a form. The entire content entered by the victim ends up 1:1 in the hands of the fraudsters!

Screenshot of the fake website of “finanzonline.at”
Screenshot of the fake website of “finanzonline.at”
Screenshot of the fake form from “finanzonline.at”
Screenshot of the fake form from “finanzonline.at”
Screenshot: At this point the fraudsters grab the respective credit information
Screenshot: At this point the fraudsters grab the respective credit information

You can tell that you are on a fake login page by looking at the internet address. The real Internet address of FinanzOnline is finanzonline.bmf.gv.at/fon/

Note: The BMF never asks citizens to disclose confidential data or transfer money via email, telephone or SMS.

Attempted fraud: background and characteristics

Fake emails, websites and electronic forms can now appear deceptively real. Sender addresses and telephone numbers can now also be easily forged.

for internet fraudsters to send fake emails and forge the sender addresses of well-known email domains of companies and authorities
. This also applies to an SMS.

Unfortunately, the owners of the affected email domains cannot prevent this using technical means. The same applies to fictitious telephone calls and faking the displayed telephone number.

The most important thing for the effective detection of attempted fraud is general mindfulness and a healthy dose of skepticism.

Typical identifying features of phishing emails are, for example:

• Fake sender address
• Impersonal or completely missing salutation
• Fake urgent need for action with tempting or threatening reasons
• Request to access links or file attachments and to disclose confidential data or to transfer money
• Spelling and grammatical errors in the email text

If in doubt, visit the website at www.bmf.gv.at and find out whether current security warnings already exist.

How to spot fraudulent messages

  • Link: A link in an SMS is always suspicious. Never click on links.
  • Check the statement: Log in to FinanzOnline as usual and check whether the information pops up there too. Contact the tax office if you are unsettled by a notification.
  • Sender: The sender of this message is “FinanzAT”. Remember: The sender's displayed name can be assigned yourself and says nothing about the actual sender!
  • Wording: Fraudulent messages are worded in a way that makes you curious. In addition, an action is always required of you.

Entered data? This is what you can do:

  • Contact your bank or credit card company and explain that you have fallen into a phishing trap. Your card may need to be blocked.
  • Beware of unusual calls. The criminals may contact you and ask you to release payments or provide a TAN code under some pretext.
  • Change your FinanzOnline password. If necessary, get help from the tax office.
  • Report it to the police.

Further information about the fraudsters' scams, the characteristics of fraud attempts and necessary security measures can be found in the tax office's folder “Beware of fraud! Don’t give internet fraudsters a chance.” The folder is available for download on the BMF website (PDF, 3 MB) and is available for collection in all tax offices.

Also read our fact checks on:
No, Pfizer is not specifically breeding corona mutations
Andrea Berg is not dead!


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )