Fake Tax Office Scams in Latvia
Fraudsters impersonate Latvia's VID tax authority with fake refund and arrears messages designed to steal banking logins or extract immediate payments.
Part of: Fake Tax Office Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Fake tax-office scams in Latvia trade on the authority of the State Revenue Service (VID). Around filing and refund periods, fraudsters send emails and texts claiming the recipient is owed a refund or owes overdue tax, prompting them to click a link and enter banking or card details.
The messages are written in Latvian and sometimes Russian, reference real VID concepts, and use spoofed sender names to look authentic. The aim is to capture online-banking credentials or push the victim into an immediate payment to a criminal account.
How this scam works on Latvia
A message claims the recipient has a refund waiting and must 'confirm their account' via a link, or warns that unpaid tax will trigger enforcement unless settled today. The link opens a replica of a VID or EDS page, or a Latvian bank login, that captures the credentials entered.
With those details and a real-time approval prompt, the criminals authorise transfers from the victim's account. Phone variants feature a caller posing as a VID officer quoting a plausible reference number and pressuring the victim to pay arrears immediately.
In Latvia the scam exploits familiarity with the EDS electronic declaration system, lending the fake refund and arrears notices a veneer of legitimacy.
Common red flags
- An email or SMS with a link to 'confirm your account' to receive a tax refund
- Threats of immediate enforcement for unpaid tax unless you act today
- A login page requesting full banking credentials and a real-time approval
- Sender details that do not match official VID channels
- Requests to pay tax arrears via card link, gift cards, or an unfamiliar account
- Urgent, threatening tone rather than the formal style of real VID letters
- Refund amounts or references that do not match your own tax records
How to protect yourself
- Never click links in tax messages — access EDS by typing the official address yourself
- Verify any claimed refund or debt by logging into your own VID account directly
- Confirm arrears by calling VID on the number listed on its official website
- Never enter banking credentials on a page reached via an email or SMS link
- Enable transaction alerts with your Latvian bank to catch unexpected transfers
- Report and delete suspicious tax messages instead of replying
How to report it
- Report tax-impersonation messages to VID via its official phishing-reporting channel
- File a report with the Latvian State Police via 110 if you lost money or shared credentials
- Notify your bank immediately to freeze the account and dispute any transfers
Frequently asked questions
Does VID send links to claim a tax refund in Latvia?
No. VID processes refunds through your registered account and the EDS system, not through links in unsolicited emails or texts asking you to confirm bank details. Any such message should be treated as phishing — log into EDS directly to check your real status.