Covid-19 scam : Fake tax refund email

A tax refund in compensation for confinement? Unfortunately this is a scam

Have you received an e-mail telling you that you are eligible for a tax refund? Put this email directly in the trash, it is phishing aimed at obtaining personal information such as bank details for example.

tax refund
Crédit : Nick Youngson

Scammers are taking advantage of both the Covid-19 pandemic and the tax reporting season to launch a new phishing campaign. They posed as a government service and sent many emails across the country. This email indicates that taxpayers are eligible for a tax refund. What a godsend in these difficult and uncertain times!

To benefit from it, the scammers then invite people to click on a link that redirects to another site. But this site imitates an official government page. Then, Internet users are invited to enter their bank details in order to benefit from the tax refund.

But this is a scam. Instead of receiving a tax refund, people who would have given their bank card number will see themselves deducting money unduly and probably with impunity.

How to identify those scams

Always be vigilant when you receive an unsolicited email, you are announcing surprising good news! To thwart these scam attempts, have the right reflexes:

  • An email that begins with “dear client / client” instead of using your last name is a bad sign
  • Spelling mistakes or questionable sentences are unacceptable
  • The website address should be familiar. Pay attention to details, and you will probably see that this is an imitation of an official government site.

However, if you have entered your banking information on the fake website, immediately block your credit card. This will avoid any future direct debits.