Have you received an SMS concerning your 2023 tax notice? Attention, it could be the new scam that is rampant at the moment and that will try to recover your bank details.
THE scams of all kinds continue to multiply. The latest to date tackles the taxes, and on this subject, many people can easily be fooled, thinking that they are facing a real demand. The website Actu.fr spotted a strange texting which was recently sent with a rather enticing promise: the refund of an overpayment noted on your 2023 tax notice.
An SMS that promises a refund to your bank account
The crooks have devised a SMS scam pretending to be the tax authorities. In their message, it is written:Gov. Tax Info Overpayment noted on your 2023 tax notice. Follow the link to proceed with the refund.” At first glance, nothing seems suspicious, quite the contrary. Except that the link in question sends the recipient to a fake site, which uses the identity of the Directorate General of Public Finances and invites you to enter your bank details to be reimbursed for this overpayment quickly.
In reality, it is indeed a scam that bears the name of smishing attemptwhich uses mobile phones to retrieve the bank details of people contacted in order to obtain money.
How to detect an SMS scam?
This scam, like many others, can be detected by paying attention to several clues. In this specific case, the URL address of the link that appears in the fake SMS ends with “.gov”, instead of “.gov”. Moreover, the phone number used begins with a 07 while this code is normally reserved for calls from individuals and not from institutions. As a general rule, too, the presence of spelling or syntax errors is an indicator that should make you suspect something.
On its website, the General Directorate of Public Finance (DGFiP) reminds everyone to do not click “on the links received in text messages telling you that you have to pay a bill, a fine or taxes. In case of doubt, contact the service concerned by another channel (via your personal account, by email or telephone).” If you receive an SMS of this type, above all do not reply to it and do not click on the link displayed. You can also block the number in question, and report it on the online platform 33 700advises the site cybermalveillance.gouv.fr.