Beware of emails claiming to be from the Tax Agency, it may be a scam ! This is what the Internet Security Office (OSI) has been warning in recent months, through the National Cybersecurity Institute (Incibe), at the gates of the 2022 Income Declaration campaign , which begins in a few months .
E-mail is often one of the favorite methods of cybercriminals, since it is extremely easy to insert a link or a malicious item and send it to the inbox of millions of people. The scam is also perfected when hackers use the fonts and logos of official institutions such as the Tax Agency.
They spoof legitimate web addresses
As reported by the OSI the Incibe, the methodology of virtual criminals involves phishing , that is, Internet addresses that try to impersonate legitimate ones. In this case, the victim receives a message in their inbox informing them of an alleged tax action registered in their database. Next, in the email, the user is given the option to consult said action and offers two links.
Of course the links are infected, and when you click, they automatically download a malware file (a computer virus). The cybercrime division of the Police insists that extreme care must be taken with these types of scams, since hackers often copy the most common visual elements of the web pages they try to impersonate.
Thus, criminals insert the original logos, colors and typography, making the fake website an almost perfect replica, and giving it a lot of credibility. With all these ingredients it is very easy to fall into the trap, so the experts advise that, with the slightest doubt, or when personal data is requested in a very direct way, be suspicious and be brought to the attention of the authorities, since we may be the victims of a virtual scam.
Tips to avoid fraud
From the National Institute of Cybersecurity they give several keys to avoid being scammed by this type of scam on the Internet. One of the tips is to always look at the domain of the website . As it is not the legitimate domain, criminals often use words related to the reason for the scam.
In this case, the OSI warns that the domain in the emails that pose as the Tax Agency usually end in “tax-agency26”. Thus, although visually it looks a lot like a real Treasury email, we will know that it is a false email with which to try to steal our personal and banking data.
Another tip that the authorities offer to avoid being scammed is that, if we receive a notification from a public body, such as the Tax Agency, we do all the paperwork through the entity’s electronic office . In addition, official bodies do not usually give access to their websites through links in the body of the email, so if we see suspicious links we should never click.
If it is too late and you have already clicked and downloaded the virus, the Incibe advises that you immediately pass the antivirus to your computer, thus you will protect your computer and prevent your data from being exposed.
