Alert issued on emerging scam activity
In recent times, there has been a surge in phishing scams targeting residents of Bremen and Bremerhaven. These scams, purporting to be from official tax offices, aim to extract money from unsuspecting individuals by falsely claiming tax debts.
The Bremen finance department and the Bremerhaven tax office wish to clarify that they do not use debt collection agencies and do not send debt collection demands via email. Any official communications regarding taxes will be delivered via tax notices by letter, or electronically to an ELSTER mailbox. Reminders will be sent via the state treasury by letter, not by email.
If you receive an email that appears to be from the Bremen or Bremerhaven tax offices, demanding payment for supposed debts or taxes, it is essential to exercise caution. Such emails should be ignored, and you should not respond, click links, or provide any personal or financial information.
Instead, verify the legitimacy of the communication by directly contacting the official tax offices of Bremen or Bremerhaven using trusted contact details (not those in the suspicious email). If the email is identified as fraudulent, it should be reported to local police or consumer protection agencies.
It is also important to note that opening the attachment in the email could potentially expose your system to malware. Caution with any debt or tax payment request received by email is strongly advised to prevent financial loss.
While the search results do not explicitly mention "Universum Inkasso GmbH" scams from Bremen or Bremerhaven, similar scams involving fraudulent "Inkasso" (debt collection) companies are known. Residents are advised to avoid hasty payments and to seek legal or consumer advice before acting.
Stay vigilant and protect your personal and financial information. If you have any doubts about the authenticity of an email, err on the side of caution and contact the official tax offices directly.
Businesses in the finance sector, such as the Bremen finance department and the Bremerhaven tax office, do not utilize email to send debt collection demands or tax notices. It's crucial to take precautions when handling any debt or tax payment request via email to safeguard your financial information and prevent potential losses.
