Elise Artigau 3:05 p.m., April 5, 2024, modified at 3:06 p.m., April 5, 2024

A tax evasion scam worries the authorities. The scam takes the form of official government emails and invites victims to pay very large sums, under penalty of criminal sanctions. The state is calling for vigilance as the 2024 tax filing campaign opens on April 11. 

Accusation of tax fraud is the new type of scam that the authorities are facing. Aiming to extract money from victims, the scam takes the form of official messages appearing to come from the tax administration. In reality, the scammers hiding behind these messages are trying to phish, by informing the recipient of fraud or tax evasion committed. The government, very concerned by this problem which tends to recur, calls on citizens to be extremely vigilant.

[#Cybersecurity] An #email accuses you of #tax #fraud?



⛔️ It's a #scam to extract money from you!



1⃣ Do not respond


2⃣ Do not pay


3⃣ Report



️ To find out more https://t.co/k6zJpIGQ8U#Escroquerie#phishing#hameçonnage#impots@dgfip_officiel

— Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr (@cybervictimes) April 3, 2024

The messages, seemingly misleading, vaguely relate to the General Tax Code, and encourage victims to regularize the fraud as quickly as possible, within 48 or 72 hours. Otherwise, the fraudulent email tries to scare the taxpayer by mentioning seizures of property, or even criminal sanctions.

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Never respond or pay 

If you receive an email of this type, the authorities call on you to "never respond" and "never pay", but rather to contact Signal Spam, an interface specializing in fraud reporting and on Pharos, the platform of the Ministry of Interior. If you have paid an amount, it is strongly recommended to alert your bank before going directly to a police station to file a complaint, keeping all exchanges. 

In case of doubt, the government points out that these messages are impersonal in nature and do not mention names or tax references. For its part, the General Directorate of Public Finances specifies on its website that in the event of fraud or tax evasion, an official letter is sent to the person concerned with acknowledgment of receipt, and that this type of recourse is not made. never by computer message.