"You haven't paid your sales tax yet. You will be fined for that and we have called a bailiff. But if you transfer it now, we don't have to send a bailiff by and you will get the fine refunded." A similar phone call was received by many entrepreneurs - mainly in the agricultural sector - in recent months. The police stress: the Inland Revenue never asks by phone or text message to transfer money, hang up immediately.
Consistent in the modus operandi of several cases is that the caller has a lot of accurate information about the victim. He also explains calmly and clearly why he is calling, and what possible consequences may be if the victim does not pay. This often includes citing the use of a bailiff to still pay the outstanding bill.
The caller offers the victim an attractive solution: if payment is made immediately, the bailiff does not have to visit and the fine will be refunded after payment.
The account where both the outstanding amount and the late payment penalty can be deposited is not the account number of the Tax Administration, but of the bailiff mentioned. Even if he no longer visits, the payment must still be made into his account, so that after payment everything is correct again in the systems of the Tax Administration - according to the swindler on the phone. In reality, the money goes into the account of a so-called money mule: someone who makes his account available for criminal activities in return for payment. The account holder then hands over his card to someone who withdraws the money from the account.
The police see that this form of crime causes a lot of shame among the victims. Afterwards, they feel guilty that they fell into the scam. Because the scam is so sophisticated, the police want to continue to warn. Children and grandchildren can also bring this to the attention of their (grand)parents.
If you, or your (grand)parents receive a call from the Internal Revenue Service asking you to pay an outstanding bill, hang up immediately. Even though it may seem very reliable and the caller talks in detail about things only the IRS knows, the IRS never calls asking you to transfer money. If this does happen, hang up and call the police immediately.
Have you already transferred money? Call your bank immediately to block your account and then the police.
If visible, write down the caller's phone number. Also note the bank account number to which the money should be transferred and any other relevant, traceable information the caller mentions, such as a website.
Do you receive a text message from the Inland Revenue about an outstanding debt that includes a link to pay? Again, this will never be sent by the Inland Revenue. Do not press the link in the text message; instead, call the police or check the IRS website.
This news item can also be found in the Information Security file
