How to...
I received an erroneous fine from the Balearic Islands; how should I proceed?
I received an email notification from the "Agencia Tributaria de las Illes Balears" (ATIB) regarding a parking fine for a motorcycle. I am 100% certain there has been a mistake, as I have never set foot in the Balearic Islands, and -what's more- I don't even know how to ride a motorcycle!
I have already submitted a request via the dedicated page on the atib.es website, but the response I received was vague and generic. I would like to contest this without involving lawyers or anything similar, especially since the amount is negligible (I believe it's around €50).
I believe they should be the ones to provide proof that the fined motorcycle was being ridden or rented by me, but I am unfamiliar with Spanish law.
In any case, I'm sending a polite reply stating this position.
Also, is it normal for a notification to arrive via email? In Italy, where I reside, email is not considered an official means of communication; fines are usually sent via registered mail or PEC (certified email).
What do you think? Is there another authority, ministry, or agency worth contacting?
Thank you!
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EDIT: I see many of you are concerned it could be a scam. I'm pretty sure it is not, because the sender domain is atib.es, the only link in the original email is towards a contact module on the atib.es website in which I didn't have to type any personal data. And they replied back from the same domain. Sounds like a very convoluted way to run a scam, but we'll see.
The only explanation I can come up with for how they got my email address is that someone used it as a contact when renting the vehicle.
Of course, I'm not going to provide any sensitive data anyway.
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EDIT 2: guys, I genuinely don’t understand why I’m getting downvoted here. I have legitimate doubts and I’m asking on Reddit. I wouldn’t be asking if I was 100% sure that it was/was not a scam.
What I really can’t wrap my head around is: could atib.es be a scam domain itself? Because an email can be forged, a website cannot—unless it’s a scam website built from the ground up to collect fake €45 fines.
BTW, I’m not going to pay anyway, because even if it isn’t a scam they contacted the wrong person. Relax. Thank you.
Are you sure the notification you received is legit? I'm asking because I have never received an email notification from ATIB (I live in the Balearic islands), and the little fines I receive, I receive via post.
Also, I'm not even certain you can set up ATIB to send you email notifications. But if it were the case, you would have to do so manually, IE they would never have this information on their own. And if you have never been to the Balearic islands, no way they would have this information.
Thanks for your concern. To me it seems not, I edited the post explaining why.
Someone could have typed my email address when registering for a rental, for example? My address is in the format name.surnameATgmailDOTcom, and I receive emails that are not mine from time to time.
That is not how it works for rentals. Source: we rent cars on behalf of our clients here in Baleares. You know what happens when there are fines to be paid? ATIB has no idea who rented the car, so they send the fine to the rental. And they are the ones that will forward it to their customer. They are also happy to, since in addition to the fine they will add some "admin charges".
Tax-agencies in Spain do not use email at all. When they do, is to notify you that you have some communications pending to be read on your profile. But said email never includes any link nor your full information, and you need to agree first to be notified electronically instead of via paper.
As I said, I am a resident in Baleares yet every fine comes to me in paper form.
Thank you. I understand. So why am I receiving legit emails from ATIB then? Unless someone hacked their email server or the domain atib.es itself is a scam domain.
Its not relevant. But you can keep ignoring several people that claim are from the area and pay taxes to the ATIB that are telling you that ATIB does not send emails.
I’m not ignoring them, I never said what they say is not true. This is what happens to them because they’re residents and I’m not disputing that.
But maybe (maybe) they could ignore that ATIB could try to contact foreigners through different means besides registered mail. Especially if it’s the only piece of information they have. Isn’t this possible?
No, it isn't posible, because ATIB doesn't have your data. And they do not need your data.
Why?
Because the rental has your data. And ATIB will not ask rental your data, they will send THEM the fine (because they own the vehicle, so it is up to them to find out who was driving it. And if you read the rentals Terms of Service you will see that any fines that you cause, the rental will invoice to you + some extra charges). We rent cars for customers and we receive many fines like this. Then its our problem to re-invoice it to whoever did it.
That is how it works.
Also, communication with tax agencies in Spain is NEVER via email. They have their own platforms, in which you send your documents and responses. Never writing an email per se. And it is done like this because the admin system in Spain requires every single step to be traceable. So you do not receive an email saying "you are missing form A + form W". You will receive a signed letter stating which procedure is open and how to reply to address it.
It is a scam, but I understand why you are afraid of ignoring them.
Please don't klick to any link of the email, and look for the original website of ATIB, look for a contact email and ask them if they have contacted you via email or it is a scam.
The sender domain is atib.es and the only link in the original email pointed to atib.es website, which didn't ask for any personal detail. I don't know, but I think it would be the worst executed scam I've ever seen.
Maybe. But how do you explain that the sender email is atib.es and I wrote on the contact form on atib.es and they replied back from the same domain? Is atib.es itself a scam domain? Are their systems totally compromised?
And the reason you are getting downvoted is you asked a question, everyone answered the question (you are getting scammed) and you denied the blatantly obvious and kept giving more examples of how it’s a scam. Hope this helps.
I'm resident. Just to go faster this is an AI resume:
No, traffic fines in the Balearic Islands and throughout Spain are never sent by email. [1, 2]
The Truth About Traffic Fines
No email or text messages: Spain's Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) does not send fine notifications or payment links via email or SMS. [1, 2]
Official delivery methods: Real fines arrive by certified postal mail to your registered address or via the electronic road registry (DEV) if you signed up for it. [1, 2]
It is a scam: Any email claiming you have an unpaid fine with a link to pay is a phishing scam designed to steal your money or personal data. Do not click any links. [1, 2]
How to Check for Real Fines
Use the official DGT Sede Electrónica website.
Download and check the official MiDGT mobile app.
Check local municipal notices (such as town hall or local police portals) if you received a parking ticket on a windshield or expect a local fine. [1, 2, 3, 4]
You are wrong there. Before, local police would use the Ayuntamiento tax services to get their fines... but they never had enough data to get anything paid whenever a non-local resident did anything, so they signed a deal with ATIB, thus all policia local fines in Baleares go through them.
Now, that only applies for Policia local in Baleares. For traffic fines it will be DGT if its Guardia Civil trafico, unsue if its normal Guardia Civil.
Emails are not a valid method for administrative notifications in Spain. This is a scam.
And btw, email protocols are nowadays a bit of an archaic & unsafe piece of technology. Sender info can be supplanted. An apparently valid sender email shall not be taken as a guarantee of trustworthy.
ETA: out of curiosity, what's the payment procedure they offer to settle the fine?
I 100% agree with you about email and insicure protocols and the like. In fact I don’t trust the sender, but atib.es website is legit (is it? I’m in doubt at this point).
The Agencia Tributaria is not responsible for parking fines!
That would be the local police (policia local) or the town hall (ayuntamiento).
But Agencia tributaria? SUPER suspicious to me
In Baleares the town halls uses the local tax agency (ATIB) to collect their local fines and taxes. I should know, since I have a tax agency office in front of my fathers house and thats where I pay fines, vehicle tax, etc.
La agencia tributaria,solo te exigiría el pago por morosidad, con recargo e intereses.
Los pagos normales en la atib son impuestos domiciliados por banco.
You only get notifications by email if you are registered. In Spain you need a valid certificate or a secured app to read Government and Ayuntamientos content of notifications that you will retrieve on their servers. Context and details are never delivered by email. Emails can be spoofed/hacked, and you should check the headers of this message. It's 100% a scam.
I understand and I’d say the same if I were you. “Scam” was my first thought. But afterwards I opened the ATIB website and contacted them through the contact form, and they replied back from the same domain. Twice. All this effort to collect 45€ that I’m not going to pay anyway bc I’m the wrong person? Very very odd.
I don't think so. If you look for "Agencia Tributaria de las Illes Balears" on Google, atib.es is the first result and it's also linked by caib.es and the Catalan Wikipedia ( https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ag%C3%A8ncia_Tribut%C3%A0ria_de_les_Illes_Balears ). Overall seems legit to me. The SSL certificate itself is a GlobalSign RSA OV, and to obtain one your organization has to provide proof of identity.
I attach a screenshot of their payment options, because honestly I'm not familiar with the majority of them. If I click on "Pagar amb targeta" (pay with credit card) I get redirected to redsys.es which seems legit too.
I receive emails addressed to a person with almost the same name as mine asking to pay several phone bills from different providers. I contacted the phone first 3 companies in Colombia saying I was not the person, that I've never been to Colombia, the 1st two were ok, they were going to try to get in touch with the client, etc, the 3rd one was rude and said they were going to disconect the line, .... I don't bother anymore and send them to Spam
This might be your case and you are receiving the e-mail due to a misspell on the email address
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u/jprava 19d ago
Are you sure the notification you received is legit? I'm asking because I have never received an email notification from ATIB (I live in the Balearic islands), and the little fines I receive, I receive via post.
Also, I'm not even certain you can set up ATIB to send you email notifications. But if it were the case, you would have to do so manually, IE they would never have this information on their own. And if you have never been to the Balearic islands, no way they would have this information.