Tax & Accounting News

Warning Over Fraudulent Email

18/09/2009

Taxpayers are being warned to be vigilant following reports of more fraudulent emails purporting to be from HM Revenue and Customs, which is in fact used to steal customers’ bank details.

The latest email comes with the title ‘Tax Refund Notification’ and states that the recipient is eligible for a large refund on the tax they have already paid. It contains a link to a website where visitors are told they can submit their refund request, but the site asks for a number of personal details, including bank login names and passwords, which are then stolen by the fraudsters.

Not only is the site bogus, but HMRC has stressed that it would never ask people for their bank details in this way, nor does it contact taxpayers by email regarding tax refunds.

There is a long list of web addresses being used in the scams including:
online.paper@hmrcpaper.co.uk
office.tax@hmrc.taxreturn.co.uk
customers@hmrc.gov.uk                
help.desk@hmrc.notify-online.co.uk
online.notify@hmrc-customs.co.uk
hmrchelpdesk@hrmchelpdesk.co.uk
refunds@hmrc.gov.uk
securemail@hmrc.gov.uk
tax-refund@hmrcforms.co.uk
hmrc@tax-revenue.uk
refundsdept@hmrc.gov.uk
hmrc@tax-revenue.uk
refunds@hmrc.gov.uk
taxcredits@hmrc.co.uk
tax-service@hmrc.customs.gov.uk
service@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

If anyone is in doubt about any communication they get purporting to be from HMRC, they should not give out any information, and should instead report the details to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk.

For more information on this and other scams visit the links below.

Internet links: HMRC guidance Latest example