Tax hacking: 678,000 victims begin to be notified by mail

The tax authorities will begin contacting taxpayers affected by the recent data breach individually on Monday, August 17. Each letter will specify the information that may have been exposed, as well as recommended precautions to limit the risks of fraud, phishing, or identity theft.

In total, 678,000 individuals and businesses were affected by this intrusion into the systems of the French Public Finances Directorate (DGFiP). The DGFiP's Director General, Amélie Verdier, apologized to taxpayers on Friday and described the incident as "serious." Authorities have not yet publicly released a comprehensive list of the categories of data compromised.

An increased risk of attempted scams

The information gathered could allow fraudsters to further personalize their messages and impersonate the tax authorities, a bank, or another official organization. Those affected should therefore be especially cautious of emails, calls, or text messages requesting login credentials, bank details, or urgent payments.

A meeting is scheduled for Monday afternoon with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to examine the consequences of the attack and the progress of the government's security plan. The government intends to strengthen the protection of digital public services following several major hacks since the beginning of the year. A judicial investigation is also underway to identify those responsible for the intrusion.