Consumers paying a tax bill are getting warnings during the bank transfer due to the new measures to combat fraud
Back in April, federal consumer protection minister Rob Beenders announced that banks would be required to compare the name on a bank account with the account number during an online bank transfer. If the payer types in a name that doesn’t correspond to the name associated with that account number, then the payer receives a warning message.
As scammers often use authentic-looking invoices to trick people into depositing money into their accounts, the government sees this as a way to eliminate a common form of fraud. It also stops people accidentally typing in the wrong account number.
While the measure is required of banks starting in October, some banks are ushering in the change now. This led to confusion this week when many people trying to transfer money to Flemish tax authorities received a warning message that the account number they were transferring money to was not associated with the name they used.
As long as the account number is correct, rest assured that your tax payment is going to the right place
Flemish Tax Authority
No worries, says the Vlaamse Belastingdienst (Flemish Tax Authority). It turns out that the name associated with the bank account number is Ministeries van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap and not Vlaamse Belastingdienst. So when payers tried to transfer money, they got a warning that the name did not match the name associated with that account number.
“The Flemish Tax Authority would like to reassure these alert citizens,” the agency said in a statement. “As long as the account number is BE02 3751 1109 9940, then you can rest assured that your tax payment is going to the right place.”
The authority said that it would begin including the official name on the account number – Ministeries van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap – on its invoices sent to taxpayers.