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Austria’s Finance Ministry has issued an urgent warning about a surge in fraudulent emails sent in its name, targeting both private citizens and businesses across the country. The scam involves fake payment reminders designed to pressure recipients into transferring money to foreign accounts.
Fake Payment Notices Circulating
According to the ministry, the deceptive emails claim that outstanding payments must be settled immediately. Attached to these messages is a forged payment reminder intended to create a sense of urgency. Cybercriminals hope that recipients will react quickly and transfer funds without verifying the legitimacy of the request.
Ministry Clarifies: Official Notices Are Digitally Signed
To counter the confusion, the Finance Ministry emphasized that official communications from the BMF are always delivered either as digitally signed documents or through traditional mail. Citizens and businesses also receive official notifications via the secure FinanzOnline Databox.
The ministry stressed that it never asks for sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, or bank account details via email.
High Likelihood of Fraud
Anyone receiving emails with similar content should assume they are dealing with a scam attempt. The ministry’s message is clear: Do not follow any instructions in these emails, do not click on links or attachments, and never share personal or financial data. Instead, the fraudulent messages should be deleted immediately.
Scammers Becoming More Sophisticated
Cybercriminals are increasingly using advanced techniques to impersonate official institutions. The ministry notes that these fraudulent emails often appear to come from legitimate entities such as:
- The Federal Ministry of Finance
- The Austrian Tax Office
- The Austrian Customs Office
- FinanzOnline
By mimicking trusted sources, scammers aim to trick recipients into handing over valuable personal information or making unauthorized payments.
- Hector Pascua with reports from heute.at/picture: pixabay.com
