Norwegian Tax Administration issues fraud warning
Residents in Norway are being targeted by text message scams by those pretending to be with the Norwegian Tax Administration.
The Norwegian Tax Administration and The Norwegian National Collection, which collects taxes on behalf of the state, have received inquiries from a number of people who have been targeted by SMS scams.
Residents are being sent text messages by fraudsters claiming to be from either the tax administration or the debt collection agency, asking recipients to click on a link.
Those who receive these messages are being asked to ignore them by the Norwegian Tax Administration.
"Neither the state's collection centre nor the Tax Agency sends unsolicited SMS or emails containing links that can be clicked on, or where such information must be filled in. We ask everyone who has received such messages to disregard this and not to click on the link," Security Director at the Norwegian Tax administration Ragna Fossen said in a press release.
If the tax administration contacts people legitimately, it does so by asking them to go to the web portal and log in and doesn't send a link. Additionally, emails and texts are only sent with this being agreed to by the message's recipient in advance.
"The most important thing we can do is warn people against clicking on links. When we receive tips about attempted fraud, we also ask that the websites it refers to be shut down. However, it is impossible for us to stop all the mailings, and those who are looking to defraud are constantly changing their methods," Fossen said.
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The Norwegian Tax Administration and The Norwegian National Collection, which collects taxes on behalf of the state, have received inquiries from a number of people who have been targeted by SMS scams.
Residents are being sent text messages by fraudsters claiming to be from either the tax administration or the debt collection agency, asking recipients to click on a link.
Those who receive these messages are being asked to ignore them by the Norwegian Tax Administration.
"Neither the state's collection centre nor the Tax Agency sends unsolicited SMS or emails containing links that can be clicked on, or where such information must be filled in. We ask everyone who has received such messages to disregard this and not to click on the link," Security Director at the Norwegian Tax administration Ragna Fossen said in a press release.
If the tax administration contacts people legitimately, it does so by asking them to go to the web portal and log in and doesn't send a link. Additionally, emails and texts are only sent with this being agreed to by the message's recipient in advance.
"The most important thing we can do is warn people against clicking on links. When we receive tips about attempted fraud, we also ask that the websites it refers to be shut down. However, it is impossible for us to stop all the mailings, and those who are looking to defraud are constantly changing their methods," Fossen said.
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