The General Directorate of Public Finance (DGFiP) is proposing to refund money by phone or email, and warns against attempts to scam people's identity during this tax filing season. Be careful, these are phishing attempts (phishing in English). Be careful, these emails do not emanate from the DGFiP and should not be followed up on under any circumstances.
Most of these attempts involve:
credit card fraud accompanying the promise of a tax refund (example of fraudulent mail :
we announce that you are eligible to receive a refund of €490 from the General Directorate of Public Finance on the card registered in your client area
- a reference number starting with GOUV is even indicated;
calls to premium-rate numbers (some websites refer to premium-rate numbers in 0 899... or 0 891... to reach public finance centers);
fraudulent wire transfer scams carried out by post, telephone or email, sometimes with false forms attached and usurping the e-mail addresses of the DGFiP (it is the companies who are particularly targeted, by forcing an employee to make a bank transfer to a fraudulent account, by usurping the identity of the real creditor);
These are fraudulent attempts to encourage you to provide personal data (bank details, proof of identity or residence). In general, be careful when you receive an e-mail message where the sender:
asks you for money or offers to pay you back a sum of money;
seeks to collect personal information (bank details, civil status...).
The Public Finance Branch never asks for bank details or personal information by e-mail or telephone.
If you are unsure of the origin of the messages received, do not reply to the emails and delete them immediately. If you have already replied to a fraudulent message by giving your bank details, you must first of all file an objection with your bank.
For more information or to report an attempted scam:
