In recent years, cyber scams have taken the guise of impersonating people, companies and even public institutions, and one of the organizations that cybercriminals have found very lucrative and effective is the impersonation of the Tax Agency.
This is due to the perception that we Spaniards have of the Treasury, that is, when this institution asks us for money or does not warn us that it has detected strange behavior, in most cases we, the taxpayers, are simply afraid and follow the steps they tell us, they indicate without questioning it.
Additionally, the message itself is usually designed with a formal language and with an urgent tone so that you act without thinking and follow the fraudulent link where the user is asked to enter their personal and banking information.
Now, in summer, this type of fraud has intensified, taking advantage of the fact that a large part of the population is on vacation and is more disconnected and relaxed from their typical daily life. It is for this reason that the Organization of Consumers and Users warns that cybercrime does not rest and does not stop for its leisure.
And to help you avoid falling for this scam, they have developed a series of points to which you should pay attention when you receive a suspicious message from the Treasury on your mobile.
Signs that it is a fraudulent SMS
- Grammar or spelling errors: Although the message may be written formally, it may often include spelling mistakes or spelling errorsare details that are often almost imperceptible, but it is important to pay attention to them.
- The phone number: Look at the number or name of the contact from which you are receiving the SMS, If it’s a stranger, forget about it completely.but he is also suspicious when it comes to a normal and ordinary number, since The Treasury has its means to communicate with you, and does not use its workers’ personal telephone numbers to contact you.
- Too urgent: Even if it is true that you owe money to the Treasury, if this is the first time they have informed you a debt or payment you have to make, you won’t have to do it immediatelyand you will have at least 15 days to do it. If the SMS tells you that you have 24 hours or similar, they just want to hurry me up so that you act without thinking.
- They ask you for personal or banking information: If the Treasury asks you for something, keep in mind that youThey have all the information about you they need, Therefore, it will never ask you for confidential information, such as account numbers or credit cards, via SMS or email.
If you receive such a message, you should not follow the link, block the phone number, delete the SMS in question and report what happened to the tax authorities through their official channels.
