Health card, fake reimbursements and bonuses: how to avoid scams with trap emails

Therefore the advice that comes from the Ministry of Health in this case is that, if you have been the recipient of these emails, not to click on the link and delete the message. After which the invitation is to consult "exclusively institutional channels" for information.

But attempted cyber attacks through misleading messages to users are becoming more diverse. False Irpef refunds, false holiday bonuses. These are some of the new forms of scams identified and brought to light in recent weeks. Some suggestions provided by the Revenue Agency can help you realize if you are faced with a malicious attempt to steal your personal data.

As the Agency explains on its dedicated page, it is possible to do a sort of mini test: «First, starting by asking yourself if the message comes from a known sender, then checking if it is written in correct Italian. Again: is it addressed to us personally? Is it well "constructed", i.e. are the characters used consistent or does it look like a botched copy and paste? Does the discussion "flow" smoothly and make complete sense? Even just one of these shortcomings is enough to prudently consider the message as dangerous."

Then pay attention to the links. «If there are links in the message, the first check to do - underlines the Agency - is whether, when the mouse is hovered over, the link corresponds to the text. It is always advisable to be wary of shortened links (for example those of the bit.ly type) which do not allow you to know in advance what the destination address is. If there are attachments, you should always check that they have only one extension (for example .docx and not .docx.exe). In case of doubts about the real origin of a document received by email, rather than opening it, it is preferable to contact the sender by another means (a telephone number or an official email address) and ask for confirmation".

the Revenue Agency then specifies that it "never sends communications containing taxpayers' personal data by email".