“Warning for entrepreneurs: fraudsters are posing as the tax office and demanding payments!”

ENTREPRENEURS, BEWARE! FRAUDSTERS HAVE ONCE AGAIN SET THEIR SIGHTS ON BUSINESS OWNERS AND WANT TO EXTORT MONEY FROM THEM.

Fraudsters exploit security gaps and people’s gullibility in various ways, including fraudulent e-mails aimed at financial gain.

Entrepreneurs and companies are among the most common groups of victims of these scams. Specifically, these are fake e-mails that pose as messages from tax offices or other state institutions and point to the need for immediate payment of taxes or other fees. These e-mails, which often look fairly authentic and contain details that seemingly attest to their legitimacy, are in fact cleverly devised scams to extract funds from reputable business owners.

The Financial Administration (Finančná správa) is warning of fraudsters who use a fake e-mail to call on taxpayers to pay tax. The subject line of the e-mail reads “Naliehavá finančná služba Slovenska” (Urgent Financial Service of Slovakia), the e-mail comes from the address financenasprava.sk@gmail.com and is unsigned. The e-mail informs the taxpayer that they have undergone a tax audit and asks them to pay tax at a rate of 20% on earnings of €8,460.

Taxpayers should not reply to the e-mail and under no circumstances should they pay the tax stated. They should not respond to the e-mail, should not click on the links provided and should not open attachments, and it is advisable for them to contact the police. In case of doubt, it is advisable to contact the Financial Administration via its official website or to call its call centre.

The fraudulent e-mail being circulated:

How to recognise a suspicious e-mail sent in the name of the Financial Administration, and what to do if you receive one:

• look at the logo and the sender’s address (in most cases it cannot be identified),
• read the content of the e-mail carefully and, in case of doubt, contact the Financial Administration via its official website or contact details, or call its call centre or, alternatively, your accountant
• DO NOT FORWARD or REPLY TO such an e-mail,
• do not pay the fees or taxes stated.