Authority scams – spotting fake officials
Fraudsters pose as the tax office, customs, police, Europol or cyber-security agencies – by email, letter or phone – demanding payments or data. Find warnings and how to tell genuine from fake official contact here.
Current warnings in this category
Aktueller Betrugsfall, gemeldet von Watchlist Internet. Details siehe verlinkte Quelle.
→Per E-Mail oder Brief werden erfundene Forderungen von angeblichen Inkassobüros, Ämtern oder dem Zoll gestellt, oft mit kurzer Frist und Drohungen. Zahlungsaufforderungen und Grundlagen stets unabhängig prüfen.
→Angebliche Polizisten, Staatsanwälte oder Europol-/Interpol-Mitarbeiter setzen Betroffene mit erfundenen Notlagen oder Ermittlungen unter Druck, um Geld oder Wertsachen zu erbeuten (auch „Enkeltrick“). Behörden fordern nie telefonisch Bargeld oder Überweisungen.
→Named domains
Common schemes
- Email in the name of Europol/police/cyber-agency claiming criminal proceedings and demanding payment.
- Call from the “tax office” or “customs” demanding back-payments immediately by voucher or transfer.
- Forged letters/notices with a QR code or link to a payment portal.
How to protect yourself
- Authorities don't demand payment by voucher, crypto or under time pressure – that's always fraud.
- Check contact details independently via the official website and call the authority back yourself.
- Don't open attachments/links from unexpected “authority” emails and disclose no data.
Frequently asked questions
Does the tax office send payment demands by email?
Tax assessments and payment demands usually come by post, not by email with a payment link. Unexpected emails demanding immediate payment are fraud.
Europol/police writes to me about proceedings – is it real?
No. Europol and police don't open proceedings by mass email or demand payments. Delete such emails and open no attachments.
How do I recognise a genuine authority contact?
Real authorities don't put you under time pressure, don't demand voucher codes, and can be verified via official contact details you research yourself.