News from afpop

Good afternoon to you all and welcome to this week’s Briefing and I want to begin this week’s Briefing with a warning of yet another scam that has surfaced, this time in my in-box, but with a twist I haven’t seen before so I thought I would enlighten you. 

The e-mail supposedly comes from someone you might know, but from a fake e-mail address made to look like theirs. It’s a name you will recognise and the text asks if you have time for a quick ‘e-mail chat’, as they have something to ask you and they have contracted severe tonsilitis and therefore can’t speak on the phone. Of course this is the twist and the first red flag, because there’s no need for people to actually ask if you can have a chat, they would simply just ask the question. The tonsilitis nonsense is just to stop you calling them and asking what’s wrong. If you reply, as I did to see what happens next, they then respond almost immediately to say that they had (in this instance) promised to buy their niece, who has just been diagnosed with cancer, a gift voucher from some store but they have been unsuccessful and would I be able to get one from Amazon for them and they will reimburse me. The obvious follow on if you go through with it, (which I didn’t you’ll be pleased to know) as a compassionate person helping a friend, is that they will obviously need your bank details to transfer the money to you in the future and you know where it goes from there. 

The reason I highlight this is of course only to ask you all to continue to be vigilant when you receive e-mails, even from people you apparently know. Check the e-mail address, in this case it was easy because the person that they were impersonating is a Member and I could see from our database that it wasn’t the correct e-mail address for them, besides the fact that the Member’s name was spelt incorrectly, but even ones as obvious as this can catch you unaware, particularly when the parasites use the ‘young girl with cancer’ scam to tug at the heart strings.

In other news, you might start seeing news articles appearing about the Entry/Exit System (EES) that we had details about last year and which you might remember was postponed just before its implementation in 2024. The EU has begun making announcements about it again it seems and I have checked with the airport police commander, who confirmed that the likely start date for the EES system for non-EU citizens to enter the EU is October this year. The commander has assured me that he will keep me up to date with any news and we, in turn, will update you all. So for now there’s nothing new until after the summer.

With a reminder about the weather agency IPMA website as the weather warnings continue and there is a warning about jellyfish infestations (see below), here is this week’s information:

Annual General Meeting

A reminder that the 37^th Annual General Meeting of afpop will take place on Saturday the 29^th of March at the Hotel Jardim do Vau in Portimão. The meeting will start at 10am and the paperwork can be downloaded HERE.

Finanças new scam warning 

Once again many taxpayers are receiving emails with fake messages, reporting supposed refunds, seizures or payment of traffic fines, all with malicious links that should not be followed, warned the Tax and Customs Authority (AT), 

Please be aware on how to recognise scams in the name of the Tax Authorities: 

• AT does not send links for payment of taxes or fines by SMS or e-mail, nor does it request payments via MB Way. Generally, tax settlements and the sending of collection notes are done by letter sent by CTT to the taxpayer's address or by electronic notification from the Tax Portal, if the taxpayer has subscribed to the service.

• Be very wary if you receive instruction to make a payment that you have not requested. Payments are always made to the State, without exception. No bank slip for payment is ever sent without the taxpayer requesting it, ​​whether by SMS with multibanco references or MB Way request – nor is any IBAN other than that of the Agência de Gestão da Tesouraria e da Dívida Pública (IGCP) indicated. You can receive a reminder to pay a tax by e-mail if your e-mail is registered with them, but this will just be a reminder that the payment is coming due and is something that you will already be aware of. 

• If you have any doubts about a request for payment of tax or fines, check on the Finanças Portal whether you have anything to pay (option “Dívidas Fiscais/Tax Debts").

IPMA jellyfish warning (Caravelas Portuguesas)

The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has published an alert for the sighting in recent days of Physalia physalis (nicknamed the Caravelas Portuguesas due to its shape) on Portuguese beaches “in unusual numbers”, in some cases more than 50 on a single beach. They are capable of causing serious skin burns, have been sighted on Portuguese beaches, from Magoito (Sintra) to Terra Estreita, in Tavira (Algarve), the responsible authorities have warned.

It has a blue "balloon" shaped float, sometimes with lilac and pink tones, with tentacles that can reach more than 30 meters in length. These hanging tentacles are used to capture fish for food.

The IPMA stresses that “it is important not to touch” these specimens, “even when they appear to be dead on the beach”, so if you usually walk on the beach and take children and animals with you, we suggest that you stay alert to this situation.

Air Quality by WHO

Some good news for people suffering with breathing conditions such as asthma, that the W.H.O. has announced that only seven countries meet the World Health Organisation air quality standards and Portugal is one of them.

Bangladesh, Chad, Congo, India and Pakistan are the countries with the most pollution and only 17% of the world's cities comply with WHO standards, according to data released for the year 2024.

“Air pollution continues to be a global problem that affects us all and can cause various health problems such as strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and acute and chronic respiratory diseases”, says the WHO site.

EU to implement new form of identification

Please note: We include this information now because you might start to hear about this new EU initiative in the media. As yet there is no date, or indication of a start time for this to begin.

The European Union is preparing a new digital identification solution for its citizens and residents. The initiative aims to simplify the way Europeans prove their identity, both online and offline, allowing easier access to public and private services across the EU and will be an alternative to the current Cartão de Cidadão and other physical identification documents. It will be made available to all eligible citizens and residents, enabling them to have a digital means of proving their identity and storing personal information.

Currently, digital identification systems offered by Member State governments have limitations. Many of these solutions are not accessible to the entire population and only allow identification for online public services, without ensuring uniform access across countries.

Only 14% of essential public service providers in the European Union allow cross-border authentication with an electronic identity system. Furthermore, the use of this type of identification for international transactions is still limited. As always, we will inform Members as we receive more detailed information.

Viajar sem pressa Campaign

​Between the 18th and 24th of March, the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), the GNR and the PSP is holding their Road Safety Campaign “Viajar sem pressa” (Travel without haste). The Campaign aims to alert drivers to the risks of speeding, given that this is one of the main causes of accidents on the roads, responsible for around 60% of the infractions recorded.

The campaign will include:

• Awareness-raising actions by ANSR on Portugal mainland and by the regional administration services of the Azores and Madeira.

• Inspection operations by the GNR and PSP, with a special focus on roads and access points with high traffic flow in places where there are higher rates of serious accidents related to the campaign themes, to contribute to reducing the risk of accidents and encouraging drivers to adopt safer behaviours with regard to speeding.

This is the third of 11 campaigns planned for this year. By the end of the year, eight more campaigns will be carried out, one per month, with awareness and inspection actions.

The message? Travel slowly, arrive alive.

Nighttime Parking Program for Residents in Lisbon

In an effort to reduce parking difficulties for residents during nighttime hours, the Lisbon City Council has announced a new initiative to provide 3,500 nighttime parking spaces located in 36 car parks across 14 parishes in Lisbon. These spaces are available to all residents living near participating car parks. The schedule is weeknights from 18h00 to 10h00 and weekends and holidays all day. Applications can be made through your EMEL profile, EMEL stores, or directly with Telpark. 

The cost is 22 euros per month, valid for up to 12 months. Parking outside the established hours will be charged according to the parking location's normal fees. You can find the full list for the 36 car parks HERE. 

Portugália strike - reminder

A reminder that the partial strike for Portugália Airline pilots (TAP's low-cost branch) continues until 27^th of March. Portugália flies from the three main Portuguese airports and also Madeira and Açores. Please check with TAP if you have booked a flight in this period.

Daylight saving time

A reminder that on Sunday the 30th of March 2025 the Daylight-Saving time starts and the clocks will go forward 1 hour on Sunday morning at 01h00 (Portugal and Madeira) and at midnight for the Azores.

AFPOP Presents… 

Lisbon Area - We would like to remind Members that there are still a few places left for our information session in Cascais on the subject of Mental Health - "Spotting the Signs, Dispelling the Myths", in conjunction with the Alzheimer Portugal Association. The presentation will take place in Cascais on the 4th of April, from 11h30 until 12h30. If you live in the Lisbon area or surroundings and have not yet booked your place, there is still time to do so.

Please note that this is open to anyone who is interested and not only afpop Members. There is a ten euro charge for non-members, which will be donated the Alzheimer’s Portugal.

Places can be reserved by contacting Marisa on apoio@afpop.com.

Algarve Area - We are pleased to inform Members that the AFPOP Presents programme has a new health-related theme, this time focused on women's health - Breast Wellness. This topic it will be presented twice in the Algarve area. The first one it will be held in Lagos on the 9th of May and the second one in Tavira on 9th of June (both in the morning time) in conjunction with Associação Oncológica do Algarve. For those interested, please register via email: apoio@afpop.com 

Satellite Offices 

If you need advice or assistance, wish to introduce a new Member to the Association, need to renew your subscription or just have a general query, please pass by and see us. We ask you to make an appointment and to inform us about your enquiry, so staff can come prepared to assist you. Please contact the afpop office to make an appointment on 282 458 509 or info@afpop.com.   

The next dates of the Satellites are:

• Almancil - Tuesday 25^th of Marchbetween 10h00 and 12h30 (premises of MEDAL Seguros)

• Lagos - Wednesday 26^th of March between 10h00 and 12h30 (premises of MediLagos on R. José Ferreira Canelas, which is behind the Câmara building)

Social media: Please remember that you can always find us on social media HERE (Facebook) and HERE (Instagram).