The tax authorities are sounding the alarm: a wave of fraud has been going on for several days.
Since April 11, millions of taxpayers have been asked to fill out their tax returns. To do this, most visit the website of the Directorate-General for Public Finance (DGFIP): impots.gouv.fr. However, the tax place has changed a bit in recent days.
There appeared a box that attracts the attention of Internet users. It warns taxpayers of the numerous scams currently being carried out by fraudsters posing as DGFIP with the aim of siphoning off the bank accounts of numerous taxpayers. Thieves are still active and using terrible tricks.
These scammers do not hesitate to make threats to create panic among their victims. They send false refund notices after allegedly withholding tax or, on the contrary, demand the payment of tax owed by accusing the recipient of tax fraud. They threaten bailiffs, the police, heavy fines, even prison sentences. The goal is always the same: extract money and get bank details from taxpayers.
One of the techniques used consists of sending SMS messages reporting non-payment or requesting bank details. The goal is to encourage victims of fraud to click on a link that leads to pages that resemble DGFIP in almost every way. Confusion is guaranteed. However, the IRS says it never sends this type of SMS. If you are in doubt, it is recommended to contact the relevant department in another way: through a personal online account, e-mail or phone.
Another scam involves sending malicious e-mails, promising refunds after fraudulently calculating taxes or, on the contrary, demanding payment of arrears by accusing them of fraud. Well imitated with official letterheads, fake signatures and stamps, they invite you to fill out online forms. The tax administration ensures that it never does this without going through the authenticated area of the taxpayer. To spot these fake emails, you need to pay attention to the sender’s address. Only those ending with @dgfip.finances.gouv.fr and pointing to pages at .gouv.fr are official. Anything else indicates fraud.
Finally, scammers may also try to convince victims to call premium numbers starting with 0899 or 0891, ostensibly to reach public finance centres. These are actually fake numbers. DGFIP reminds that to obtain information it is necessary to use ordinary numbers of local centers or the unique, non-premium number 0809 401 401.