Last updated on March 19th, 2020 at 10:05 am.
It’s no longer just a case of making sure you don’t lose your credit card or have it stolen. You have to watch out for internet fraud too if you’re going to protect your bank account. Occasionally, someone will contact us concerned about an email they have received directly from the Spanish Tax Authority (Agencia Tributaria). They want to believe what the email tells them, that they have paid too much Spanish tax and they can claim it back. It sounds too good to be true, and it is.
The email requires you to click on a link and submit information. It comes as no surprise that to access your overpaid tax you need to provide your bank details and credit card information. Of course, this web address does not really belong to Agencia Tributeria and if you do supply the details requested the money will go out of your account rather than come in.
These are fraudulent emails. The Agencia Tributaria does not work in this way. On no account should you supply any of this kind of information. The opportunity for this type of fraud is made all the greater when people are dealing with an organisation in another country and perhaps in another language. The good sense you might apply if it was the tax authority from your native country can be lost when you’re faced with the mysterious workings of somewhere abroad.
Advice from Agencia Tributaria
The Agencia Tributaria are also concerned about the number of ‘impersonations’ they are suffering from. They have released information about these ‘phishing’ attempts and are asking that such communications are reported.
They remind people that:
- They never request confidential information by email
- They never ask for personal financial information, account numbers or credit card numbers by email
- They would never give tax refunds onto a credit card
- They do not charge for the services they provide
If your email suggests to the contrary, beware. You should also watch out for websites which claim to represent Agencia Tributaria and offer to put you through on a number beginning with 905. Dialling this number will incur high charges and there is no need. You can contact the Agencia Tributaria directly on 901 33 55 33 or 901 200 345.
If you do have any doubt you should contact the Agencia Tributaria’s Customer Service Centre on 901 200 347, to verify authenticity. Do not click on any links, even if it looks convincing. The official domains of the Agencia Tributaria are:
Access to the electronic office takes place through:
www1.aeat.es, www2.aeat.es, www3.aeat.es, www4.aeat.es, www5.aeat.es, aeat.es
Be careful as the imitation links can be very like the originals and it’s best not to click on any links at all. Keep your wits about you, don’t take any risks and please take note of the Agencia Tributaria’s advice.
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