The income tax return campaign, which begins on April 3, does not go unnoticed and provides the opportune space for cybercriminals to try to carry out their attacks to access personal and banking information. The main dangers include phishing email scams, smishing SMS, fraudulent calls… Any of these routes can be dangerous. In order to prevent possible fraud and curb the risks, it is very important that you take extreme care and follow the suggestions proposed by CaixaBank so that you can identify whether you are a victim of fraud.
How do I know if I am being a victim of fraud?
1. Always check to see who the sender of information is: The domain name is often similar but not the same. This can lead to confusion, and we can fall victim to a scam if we don't pay attention. For example, the official domain name of the Tax Agency is aeat.es. Cybercriminals can create a very similar one, such as aeatr.es. If in doubt, make sure you have the official website, and type it directly into your web browser without using suspicious links sent by email or text message.
2. Be suspicious if you are being asked for bank information: The Tax Agency or any other entity will never ask you for confidential, financial or personal information. Always query any emails or text messages that request bank details.
3. Check the method used and the content of the message: The Tax Agency will only use an email or text message to inform you of the status of your tax return or to notify you if you have a notification in your e-office area. Ask yourself whether the Tax Agency or any other entity would ask you for confidential, financial or personal information in this way.
4. Pay attention to the tone of the message: Carefully observe how the message is written, as misspellings are a clear sign that the message may be fraudulent. Even so, there is an increasing number of false emails that have been correctly written. Also, they usually try to create a sense of urgency or importance to encourage us to fall for the fraud.
5. Check whether there are attachments or links: Fraudulent messages often contain attachments or links as bait for their scam. Never open a suspicious link or document. The Tax Agency never attaches files with supposed invoices or other data.
6. If you are contacted by phone: Some cybercriminals may use advanced deception techniques in order to hide their real number behind a legitimate one. Remember that neither the Tax Agency nor any other legitimate entity will call you by phone asking for your personal or financial information, nor will they contact you in this way. If you need to communicate with them, you can call them at the phone numbers indicated on their official website.
And if you detect any suspicious transactions in your account or you have provided your details in what you think is a fraud campaign, contact your branch manager immediately or call the customer service helpline 24 hours a day on 93 887 25 25/900 40 40 90 or +34 938 87 25 25 if you are abroad.