The Federal Revenue Office alerts citizens to fraud attempts involving the name of the institution and attempts to apply scams by letters, e-mail or WhatsApp, which have returned to the internet. Such letters and messages misuse official names and stamps and deceive the citizen by presenting screens that mix true and false instructions in an attempt to illegally obtain tax, registration and financial information.

The links contained in certain points indicated in the correspondence are often the gateway to viruses and malware (malicious programs) on the computer.

The Revenue clarifies that in the Income Tax Declaration of 2017, the taxpayer’s e-mail and phone number was requested only to complement his registration and that he does not send messages via email or WhatsApp without the taxpayer’s authorization, nor does he authorize third parties to do so, in your name.

In addition, the statement contained in letters and messages that “no unit of the IRS is authorized to receive your data, because it is confidential data, and should be done only through the e-mail address quoted above” does not apply. This is because the taxpayer can change or correct their registration data, if they present inconsistencies, in the Taxpayer Assistance Centers of the IRS units or when summoned by the IRS to appear in one of its units to present documents or provide clarification on the their fiscal situation.

The only form of electronic communication with the taxpayer is through the Virtual Center for Taxpayer Assistance (e-CAC), located on its website.

Here’s how to proceed with these messages:

1. Do not open attached files because they are usually executable programs that can cause damage to the computer or capture user’s sensitive information;

2. Do not enter or activate links to Internet addresses, even if the name of the RFB is written there, or messages such as “click here”, since they do not refer to the Federal Revenue Service; and

3. Delete the message immediately.

Source: O Tempo