300 euros burst – fraudsters use energy flat rate for nasty scam

The Sparkasse warns of phishing attacks in which attempts are made to spy out bank data from users via fake emails from the Sparkasse customer service. The thematic hook for the mesh is the energy flat rate of 300 euros. The subject line usually contains requests such as “Secure your energy flat rate!”.

The e-mail states that your identity must be verified in order to check your entitlement to the energy flat rate. To do this, follow the link provided. There, online banking access data, personal data, the data of your Sparkasse card and credit card data will be requested. Only if you fill out the data should you be able to look forward to the payment of the energy flat rate in the next four weeks.

The whole thing is fake from start to finish and you shouldn’t fall for this trick.

Attention: No identity check necessary

For most people, the flat-rate energy fee is automatically added to the account with the salary for September, but it can also be paid out later. Freelancers and the self-employed can use a reduction in the income tax prepayment.

Nobody has to verify themselves with the bank to receive the energy flat rate. These emails in circulation are fraudulent. The creators only want to get your financial data.

Fake Treasury SMS messages are also circulating. This is about alleged amounts that you still have to receive. But this is only possible after verification. Again, a link to a manipulated website is inserted that wants to steal your data.

Protection against phishing

Phishing mails should be filtered out by the mail provider, but this is usually not 100 percent successful. It is therefore possible that fake Sparkasse emails end up in your mailbox. Never use the links in the emails. You can also protect yourself against phishing with the right virus scanner.

If you are a Sparkasse customer and do not know whether it is a genuine request, it is better to register directly on the bank’s website. You should then find a notification there as well.

In general, neither banks nor the Ministry of Finance will ask you to verify yourself by email or SMS. Don’t be lured by current topics such as the energy flat rate.

You should mark this type of mail as spam. You should block senders of such SMS and delete the messages.