Beware of 'tax refund' emails
Scammers are sending out phishing emails purporting to come from tax authorities
CONSUMER group UFC-Que Choisir is warning against scam e-mails purporting to be from bodies such as tax or family allowance authorities.
Internet users in particular are being warned to watch out for emails that look as if they are from DGFiP, the public body in charge of tax. People have been receiving emails from assistance.dgfip@assistance-usagers.com pretending to offer a tax refund and asking for bank details.
You are asked to click on a link to go to a site, which looks like the official tax one, www.impots.gouv.fr, but is actually http://gouv.name/formulairederemboursement
Numerous spelling mistakes also give away the fact that the site is not genuine. This is also the case with scam emails some people have received that appear to come from the Caisse d’Allocations Familiales.
Another phishing scam is one that purports to come from IT company McAfee, asking you to download fake anti-virus software.
In all cases, the golden rule is not to send your bank details after receiving unsolicited emails. The DGFiP has stressed that it never asks for bank details in emails, whether for payment of tax or to make a refund of tax overpaid.
