Fake tax bills making the rounds in Brussels and Wallonia

Residents of Brussels and Wallonia are being targeted with convincing-looking letters that appear to come from federal authorities at Belgium's finance ministry, but are actually a phishing scam.

The letters claim that residents must pay €87 for an "additional federal tax on annual hygiene and public health services", Bruzz reports.

The letter looks official and features the FPS Finance logo. A warning at the bottom of the letter states: "If you do not pay immediately, this amount will be increased by any follow-up costs."

The account number listed for payments does not belong to the finance ministry.

People in Brussels and several places in Wallonia, including the provinces of Hainaut and Walloon Brabant, have reported receiving the scam letters.

A spokesperson for the finance ministry confirmed that the letter was fake.

“Unfortunately, we receive daily reports of phishing attempts,” the spokesperson said. “We have been facing this for years, it happens very often.”

Tips include watching out for language and/or spelling mistakes and checking the account number.

The account for real government agencies always has the same structure: BEXX 6792 XXXX XXXX. In the scammers' letter, an account number with a different structure was used.

Victims are encouraged to report the letters to police.