The Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) warns that there has been a recent surge in deceptive SMS messages sent by fraudsters posing as “Greek Customs.”

These messages, under the pretense of parcel clearance, urge recipients to click on a link to allegedly pay customs duties or other fees.

As emphasized, this is a case of electronic fraud known as smishing (SMS phishing).

Additionally, AADE highlights the following:

• AADE does NOT send SMS to citizens, except in specific cases of transactions (e.g., issuance of secure codes) and ALWAYS in response to and in execution of a citizen’s request.
• AADE does NOT include any links (URLs) in its communications (emails, SMS, etc.).

If you have received—or may receive—any such message on your mobile phone without having previously submitted a related request to AADE, you should ignore it, DO NOT click any link, and delete the message immediately. Under no circumstances should you provide personal or card information.

For more information and clarification, you may:

• Visit AADE’s official website (https://www.aade.gr), via the path:
  Customer Service – Information > Digital Data Security > Digital Services and Transactions Security
• Contact AADE’s Taxpayer Service Center (KEF) at (+30) 213 162 1000, on working days, between 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM.

To report such incidents, contact the Cyber Crime Division:

• By phone: 11188 (toll-free)
• By email: [email protected]