Guides

DigiD, Belastingdienst and government: what they never do

Q: How do I know a CJIB fine is real?

Log in to mijn.cjib.nl or MijnOverheid: every real fine is there. Not there? Then the message is fake.

The government is the most impersonated sender in the Netherlands, because everyone deals with it. Fortunately the real government sticks to a few strict rules — and scammers do not.

Belastingdienst, DigiD, MijnOverheid, CJIB, DUO, UWV, RDW: all of them get copied. The stories change with the season: in March “you get money back”, in summer “your benefit is being stopped”, all year “your DigiD expires”. The goal is always the same: your DigiD login or your bank details.

What you need to know: DigiD sends no e-mails or texts with a link to log in, activate or renew. The Belastingdienst sends no payment links and asks for no bank details by e-mail. The CJIB sends fines by post and via MijnOverheid — never by SMS with a link.

How to spot it

1
“Your DigiD expires / will be blocked.”DigiD does not expire. A DigiD is only deactivated after three years of non-use, and you get no SMS with a link about it.
2
“You get € 384.20 back, enter your account number.”The Belastingdienst already knows your account number and pays into it. It does not ask by e-mail or SMS.
3
“Pay within 24 hours or the bailiff comes.”The CJIB and the Belastingdienst work with reminders by post and through MijnOverheid. Never an SMS link or a Tikkie.
4
A link to a domain that is almost right.digid-nl.com, belastingdienst-toeslagen.nl, mijn-overheid.info. The real addresses are digid.nl, belastingdienst.nl, mijn.overheid.nl.
5
A call “from the Belastingdienst” about a debt or an arrest.The Belastingdienst does not call with threats and does not ask you to pay over the phone.

A real example, taken apart

SMS from “DigiD”

Your DigiD expires on 30-09. Renew now to keep access to MijnOverheid and the Belastingdienst: digid-verlengen.nl/activeren

Why this is fake

DigiD does not expire and does not text links.
The domain is digid-verlengen.nl, not digid.nl.
The deadline is there to make you click without thinking.

What you do

Log in yourself.Type mijn.overheid.nl or belastingdienst.nl, or open the DigiD app. Is there really something? Then it is in your Berichtenbox.
Switch on the Berichtenbox notification.Via mijn.overheid.nl you get an e-mail without a link when there is a new message. So you know: no notification = no message.
Use the DigiD app with a PIN.Safer than username + password + SMS. And the app shows which organisation you are logging in to.
Report fake messages.Belastingdienst: valse-email@belastingdienst.nl. DigiD: via digid.nl. All government phishing also to the Fraudehelpdesk.

Never do this

Log in with DigiD through a link from an e-mail, SMS or WhatsApp.
Give your DigiD username and password to anyone, not even “an employee”.
Pay the Belastingdienst or the CJIB through a link in a message.

Dossiers of this kind

58 dossiers in our database match this kind — counted by what they are, not estimated. A few:

belasting-dienst.nl mijn.belasting2026.nl belastingdienst-teruggave.eu belastingdienst-info.nl mijn-belastingdienst.com digid-bevestigen.nl belastingteruggave-direct.nl cjib-melding.nl

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Questions people ask

I logged in with DigiD on a fake site. What now?

Go to digid.nl right away, log in and change your password. If you can no longer log in, your DigiD may have been taken over: block via digid.nl and apply again. Then check MijnOverheid and the Belastingdienst for changed details (account number, address). File a police report.

Does the Belastingdienst ever send e-mail?

Yes, but without links to log in or pay, and never with an attachment. A real e-mail points you to Mijn Belastingdienst, where you log in yourself.

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