Probably all of us have received a suspicious text message at least once, promising easy money or demanding immediate action. A new wave of such fraudulent text messages is currently spreading rapidly in Slovakia, with scammers posing as the Finančná správa (Financial Administration) and offering to refund alleged tax overpayments. Their goal is simple: to lure you into revealing your sensitive information and drain your bank accounts.
How the scam works
Scammers send text messages claiming that you are entitled to a refund of a certain amount, for example, 450 euros. These messages contain a link to a fake website that visually mimics the official Finančná správa portal or even an online banking interface. If you click on this link, you’ll be asked to enter personal information such as:
- full payment card details (including the CVC code);
- your online banking username and password;
- SMS confirmation codes;
- rodné číslo (identification number).
This information is then used to gain unauthorized access to your finances.
Official Statement from the Financial Administration
The Financial Administration categorically states that it never sends such SMS messages and never requests that you enter personal or banking information via a link. Official communication with taxpayers takes place exclusively through verified channels:
- the official Financial Administration portal;
- the Personal Online Portal (OIZ);
- e-Services (eSlužby);
- the central government portal Slovensko.sk.
Any information regarding tax overpayments or other tax obligations should be verified only through these official sources.
What to Do If You Receive a Suspicious SMS
If you receive a message like this on your phone, follow these recommendations:
- Do not respond: Do not reply to the SMS and under no circumstances click on the link.
- Do not enter any information: Never enter personal, login, or banking information on websites you’ve accessed via suspicious links.
- Delete the message: Mark the text message as spam and delete it.
- Verify the information: If you have any doubts about a tax overpayment, verify it through the official channels of the Financial Administration. You can enter the official portal’s address into your browser yourself or call the official hotline.
What to do if you’ve already provided your information
If you accidentally clicked on the link and entered your sensitive information, you must act immediately—every second counts:
- Contact your bank: Immediately call your bank and report the data breach. Ask them to immediately block your payment card and access to online banking.
- Notify the police: Contact the police as soon as possible by calling 158 and report the fraud.
Remember that scammers are constantly changing the content of their messages and the names of the institutions they impersonate. Therefore, it’s important to stay vigilant and warn your loved ones—especially older adults—about these threats. You can find more information about important emergency service numbers and hotlines on our Important Phone Numbers page.
Be careful—a promise of a quick refund could turn out to be a trap that will cost you much more. Read more about this and other scams at Zilina.zoznam.sk. Official warnings from the Financial Administration are available on their website.
