HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has warned that taxpayers should watch out not only for scam emails and texts but also phone calls purportedly coming from the taxman, as attempted fraud is increasing.
Although “a simple piece of code” helped the department block 300 million fake emails last year, hackers are getting ever more ingenious and the most common one to look out for is an email supposedly coming from HMRC, which claims to be about a “tax refund notification”. It asks the recipient to click on a link, which then requests their personal bank details, meaning they could unwittingly compromise their financial security.
The attempted fraud is also becoming more sophisticated, as the scam email often looks genuine and carries the department’s logo and official-looking reference numbers. Moreover, the criminals often sign off using the name of a genuine member of HMRC staff and send the mails out in the self-assessment and tax credit renewals peak period.
According to the Low Incomes Tax Reforms Group, these “specifically crafted and targeted” mails can even contain information containing content that is found in social media sites the person uses, so they can look even more authentic.
Meanwhile, a newer scam, which is specifically aimed at older taxpayers, involves a recorded telephone message that says HMRC is filing a lawsuit against them. However, if the recipient calls the number back to speak to the “officer dealing with the case”, they will be asked to provide bank account or personal details in exchange for “tax advice” or a refund. They could also be told to make payments via iTunes vouchers or asked to read out a serial code over the phone.
A spokesman for HMRC said they would never notify people of a tax rebate offer repayment or ask them to disclose financial details by tax or email and warned against speaking to anyone who could not verify their identity
