Erfurt (dpa/th) - The tax authorities in Thuringia have warned of fraudulent emails about alleged "tax credits". Fraudsters are currently sending emails on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Finance and lure them with a refund, as the Ministry of Finance announced on Thursday. In order to receive the money, citizens should verify themselves via a link. An incorrect cell phone number was also given.

The tax authorities warned against carrying out such a verification. Personal tax data would never be sent in the form of email attachments. A common scam used by scammers is to open attachments to the taxpayer's registration data, account and credit card information and transfer viruses or Trojans. Requests for payment and notifications of reimbursement amounts are only sent by the tax office by post or via the Elster online portal.