The Judicial Police issued an alert about a fraudulent communication sent on behalf of the Tax and Customs Authority, promising an alleged IRS refund for 2025. The scheme replicates official language to create confidence in taxpayers and induce them to follow a false authentication process.
The scam employs various manipulative tactics, including subjects like "2025 Approved Refund" to activate the psychological reward mechanism. Scammers present high amounts between €7,989.00 and €3,936.00, create urgency with a promise of credit within 3 business days, and threaten process suspension if not completed within 7 days.
Criminals use expressions like "Welcome to the AT authentication service" to appear authentic, inviting victims to click on an "initiate authentication" button to capture impulse and avoid reflection. The PJ warns that all of this is false and that the objective is to rob taxpayers' finances.
If you receive this communication, the recommendation is to ignore the message, do not click on links, always confirm from the official source of the Tax and Customs Authority, and report to authorities. The PJ also asks that the alert be shared to reduce the impact among taxpayers.
