The Tax Authority (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) has warned taxpayers about fraudulent SMS and email messages designed to trick recipients into visiting malicious pages or making improper payments, Correio da Manhã and Observador report. Authorities advise checking communications through official Tax Authority channels rather than following links in unsolicited messages.
Tax authority warns: ignore fraudulent messages
Monday, 23 February 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
Tax debt is any unpaid tax liability owed to Portugal's tax authority (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira), including income tax, VAT and other charges. Under the recent rules mentioned in the story, people with outstanding tax debt can be blocked from receiving state disaster aid, so residents should check their tax status or obtain a debt‑clearance document before applying for public support.
The Tax Portal (Portal das Finanças) is Portugal's official online service where individuals and businesses access tax records, file returns, and make payments. On 6 February 2026 the Tax and Customs Authority (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira or AT) used the portal to warn taxpayers about scam SMS messages falsely demanding payment to 'avoid seizure'; residents should ignore unsolicited payment links and check the portal or contact AT directly.
