Warning issued over latest text message scam

The INCIBE national cyber security office, an official body of the Spanish Government, has issued a warning of a new text message scam claiming to be from the tax office and related to a tax refund for the year 2023.

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This latest fraudulent activity is seemingly timed to coincide with the tax submission period which has just started.

Description

A campaign has been detected in which cybercriminals are using the smishing technique, which is based on sending text messages, informing the user that the Tax Agency has ordered the payment of a certain amount as an alleged refund of personal income tax on income for the year 2023. The message contains a link to a fraudulent website that impersonates the identity of the Tax Agency, with the pretext that the user accesses it to obtain more information. The purpose of this fraud is to obtain the victim’s personal and banking information.

Solution

If you have received a text message with the characteristics mentioned, but have not accessed the attached link, we recommend blocking the sender and deleting it from your inbox.

In the event that you have accessed the link and provided your personal and banking information, follow these recommendations from INCIBE:

Capture and store as much evidence of smishing as you can, including links. To certify this evidence, you can use online witnesses.

Over the next few months, go egosurfing to verify your online presence and ensure the security of your personal and banking details.

Contact the Cybersecurity Help Line to advise you and inform us of the fraud, and thus prevent other people from falling for these scams, or report the fraud through INCIBE.

Go to the State Security Forces and Corps and file a complaint using the evidence you have gathered of the fraud.

If you still have doubts about the veracity of an SMS you have received, you can go to the section related to this type of fraud of the Tax Agency.

Always confirm that notifications you receive by SMS or some other means belong to an official source.

To be aware of these frauds and social engineering attacks, you should check official advice and information about how to avoid becoming a victim of this type of fraud.

Details

INCIBE detected a smishing campaign in which the Tax Agency is impersonated, taking advantage of the 2023 income filing period.

This social engineering technique is used with the intention of sending an SMS to the user informing them that they will receive a payment for the presentation of the income for the year 2023. The message includes a link so that the user is redirected to a fraudulent website, in which, through forms, you enter your personal and banking information.

So far, several types of messages with the same purpose have been detected, which include some spelling errors and an unofficial URL from the Tax Agency. The SMS highlights that the person who receives it will receive a payment in the amount as a refund of taxes paid.

The image shows an SMS supposedly from the Tax Agency where it tells you about an alleged tax refund, so that you can access the fraudulent link. Often with spelling mistakes.

The image shows another SMS similar to the previous one, which also indicates an alleged refund of personal income tax and that you must access the fraudulent link for more information. This message also includes spelling mistakes that give it away.

By clicking on any of the links contained in these SMS mentioned above, the user is redirected to a website, where the user is asked to enter their full name, credit card number, expiration date, CVV and PIN.

The image shows the fraudulent web form where cybercriminals want you to enter personal and banking information.

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