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Watch out, be careful with the Income Statement this year! And not because it is more complicated to carry out than those of previous exercises, but because of the new scams that surround it. There are already those who want to make their own August through this Treasury procedure. All this frauding users through new channels such as WhatsApp or Telegram Here we explain what these Income Statement scams are.
Scams via WhatsApp
According to the security firm Panda Security, the most widely used messaging application in the world would be one of these new channels used by fraudsters. The scams are based on the technique of phising or impersonation That is, they pretend to be the Tax Agency itself with messages in which the user is invited to click in a link. All this with promises to request a refund of the return of the Income Statement, or with similar messages.
Once inside the web page accessed through the link, the scammers request all the user's bank details A web page that simulates that of the Tax Agency thanks to the logos and forms, but which is completely different from it. With this they manage to collect money directly from the user.
WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS and email
Until now, this type of scam was carried out via email or SMS.Something that could make users doubt since the Tax Agency used to send some notifications and data through the old mobile messaging service. However, the expansion of the use of WhatsApp and Telegram has led scammers to update their modus operandi to try to attract more users
&x1f6a9;The time to file the INCOME Statement is coming up and the cyberbad guys want to trick you: DO NOT click on unknown attachments! Phishing pic.twitter.com/v5cj7Tqbd4
”” National Police (@policia) March 27, 2017
The key lies in understanding that the Treasury does not contact users through WhatsApp or Telegram. Any information or link in your name can be a hoax or a scam Therefore, it is best to ignore these types of messages and avoid clicking on their links .
How to detect Income Tax Fraud
The aforementioned security firm offers some keys to avoid being victims of one of these scams in relation to the Income Statement.
- Ignore the download links of the program PADRE This year, for the first time, this program is dispensed with. This gives way to the web version of the Income Statement. Any reference to such a PADRE program cannot bode well.
- If the wording of the messages is grammatically incorrect, it is a scam. Many of these hacker and cybercriminal networks are located outside of Spain. Therefore, there is usually a lack of command of Spanish that can be noticed in the writing of the messages. Do not comment on these rulings at the Tax Agency.
- Logos and the structure of messages received can also be key. Wrong colors and shapes, or the absence of these icons in communications should make the user suspicious.In the same way, the layout or structure of the message, which is usually sober but elegant and formal, can be key. A message without different paragraphs or with an uncomfortable reading is synonymous with fraud.
- Finally, you have to pay attention to the links in these messages Before you even click on them, or when doing so, you have to pay attention to the web address they lead to. If that web page does not begin with http://www.agenciatributaria.es at the beginning of the address, it means that it is a scam.
Of course, when any of these messages and alleged frauds are detected, the best thing to do is report it. Police accounts National and the Civil Guard on Twitter are open. Their respective bodies against telematic crimes work to defeat the intentions of cybercriminals.
