Taxpayers warned over email scam
Date: 03/10/14
Taxpayers are warned to be vigilant about another HMRC email scam suggesting that they have been removed from self-assessment.
This email purports to come from HM Revenue and Customs and includes the tax authority’s green logo. The email tells the recipient that as of September 2014 they are “no longer eligible for a Tax Return”, and asks them to renew their details by submitting form.
Coming from a non-official email address revn222@ipodnanouk.com, and containing spelling errors, poor wording and layout, it should suggest to recipients that it is fake. However it is understood that a number of taxpayers have been taken in and clicked on the link.
HMRC will never contact people and ask them to hand over personal information by email, so people should be vigilant of suspicious looking emails. Many of the scam emails purporting to come from HMRC are not as obvious as this example.
Handing over such information could result in money being stolen from victims’ banks accounts, but also their personal details could be sold on to organised criminal gangs, potentially leading to identity theft.
HMRC is urging anyone who may have received an email such as this to avoid clicking on links or opening attachments and forwarding such emails onto HMRC before deleting them.
If anybody receives a suspicious email they should forward it to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk.
Author: Alan Taylor FCCA
A former pupil at Ripley St Thomas C of E High School in Lancaster, Alan joined Scott & Wilkinson directly from school in 1994 and qualified as an Accountant in 2001. Alan is responsible for a variety of clients operating in...
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