Good to know · Emergencies

Spot and report scams aimed at newcomers: fake fines, tax and Social Security messages, rental fraud

Official bodies warn about fake messages that copy the DGT, the Tax Agency or Social Security, and about rental scams. The DGT says it never sends fines by email; the Tax Agency says it never asks for confidential or card details by email or SMS. INCIBE runs a free, confidential helpline on 017 for scams and cybersecurity problems.

Why it matters: A newcomer doesn’t yet know which letters, texts and websites are normal, and is often waiting on a rental, a tax or Social Security number, or a fine, which is what scam messages play on.
When: You get a text, email or call that claims to be from a fine, tax or Social Security office, or a rental offer asks for money before you have seen the home.
Last checked: 25 Oct 2026

Cost: The 017 helpline is free (INCIBE). The pages read mention no fee for the Tax Agency form.

What you need

INCIBE 017 helpline: "servicio nacional, gratuito, confidencial y personalizado" for citizens, businesses and minors. Hours on the INCIBE page: "de 8 de la mañana a 11 de la noche, los 365 días del año". Also by WhatsApp (save 900116117 first), Telegram (@INCIBE017) and a web form answered by email. It handles "Estafas, fraudes y otros problemas de ciberseguridad".
DGT: it "nunca comunica sus multas por correo electrónico" but by registered letter and, if that fails, official bulletins and notice boards. The one exception is if you voluntarily enrolled in the Dirección Electrónica Vial (DEV): then you may get an email or SMS alert to check the notice on the DEV site. The DGT calls fine emails a phishing fraud.
Tax Agency (AEAT): it "nunca solicita por correo electrónico o SMS información confidencial, económica o personal", nor account or card numbers, and sends no attachments with invoice data.
Social Security: it "nunca te va a pedir un correo electrónico y su contraseña como forma de identificación". Its page lists warning signs: spelling mistakes, badly written sentences, pixelated logos, unrealistically short deadlines and pressure to act fast.
Rental scams (INCIBE): be cautious with very low prices, photos that carry another site’s watermark or appear in other ads, an owner abroad who can’t show the flat, pressure to hurry, a go-between using a free email domain and payment by anonymous money transfer services.
Reporting a crime follows the denuncia card (Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil).

Steps

Don’t click, open attachments or reply
The DGT and the Tax Agency both say to delete messages from unknown senders or that you didn’t ask for, and not to answer them. The Tax Agency also warns about links and attachments even from known contacts.
Check the claim on the body’s own official site
For a fine, the DGT says to search TESTRA with only your DNI, NIE or CIF (no certificate needed). For tax notices, the Tax Agency advises using its electronic office rather than message links. If a Social Security message worries you, its page says to call the official Social Security phone numbers.
For a rental, check before you pay
INCIBE suggests searching the address and checking a street-level map view to see if the home matches the photos, and searching the owner’s email. It says to stop if you’re asked to pay by an anonymous transfer service.
Ask INCIBE if you’re unsure
Call 017 (8:00 to 23:00 every day per INCIBE’s page), write on WhatsApp 900116117 once saved, or use the Telegram handle or web form.
Report it
Tax Agency: use its online form for security problems (phishing and fraudulent emails and SMS). A crime, including a fraud that cost you money, is reported with a denuncia to the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil; see the denuncia card.

Tips

Not from an official page: if you already typed card or bank details into a link, contact your bank right away. We did not read Banco de España guidance.

Official sources

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