German tax authorities warn of phishing emails impersonating audit notices

Tax administrations in several German states, including Lower Saxony and Schleswig‑Holstein, have issued warnings about fraudulent phishing emails that mimic official audit orders. The messages use the subject line “Prüfungsanordnung gemäß § 193 AO” and attach an HTML file disguised as a PDF, which prompts recipients to enter a password. Authorities confirm that such audit notices are never sent by email and that only tax offices may conduct audits.

The German consumer protection agency (Verbraucherzentrale) also cautions taxpayers that similar scams exploit the tax‑return filing deadline on 31 July, posing as messages from the Elster portal or other tax‑software providers. Recipients are urged not to open links or attachments, not to disclose personal or business data, and to verify any suspicious email directly with their tax office. If personal data has been entered, users should change passwords and monitor accounts for unauthorized transactions.