Scammers Impersonating HMRC
OnTax Accountant Dunfermline has learned that in the last few years several complaints have been made by the taxpayers regarding scam emails related to tax refunds from HMRC. Last year nearly eighty thousand phishing E-mails had been reported.
The common complaints that are being reported are about receiving e-mails that promise a tax refund in return for personal information.
We have also discovered that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have investigated the entire scenario and are publicising openly that these E-mails are scams.
The Scammers Promises!
OnTax Accountant Dunfermline has come to know that they have confirmed that these e-mails are being sent by impostors and are urging people not to fall for these frauds.
OnTax Accountant Dunfermline believes that although HM Revenue and Customs have been telling people not to respond, those who accidentally do put themselves at risk and suffer a lot.
The common message that these scam emails hold is the promise of giving tax refunds in return of personal information. The personal information that these E-mails demand for includes credit card details and bank account numbers and pin codes.
OnTax Accountant Dunfermline has discovered that once they reply they have unwittingly disclosed their personal account information leading to frauds with the possibility the funds go onwards to organized criminal gangs.
Spotting An HMRC Scammer Is Harder Than You Might Think!
HMRC "Look-a-Like" Emails
HMRC has been trying their best to make people aware of the fact that they would be freely giving their personal information to criminal gangs by replying to e-mails like these.
The main problem lies with the format of the e-mails that are sent to taxpayers. The E-mails resemble HMRC’s official website’s format and therefore are very likely to get taxpayers tricked.
How To Spot An HMRC Scammer
The main problem lies with the format of the e-mails that are sent to taxpayers. The E-mails resemble HMRC’s official website’s format and therefore are very likely to get taxpayers tricked.
HMRC has assured people that they never send in E-mails containing authentic tax rebates and refunds. Apart from this, HMRC has taken necessary actions including those of shutting down some of these illegal websites.
OnTax Accountant Dunfermline believes that the format, in a way, prevents taxpayers from being suspicious or to be able to recognize the fraud. HMRC has luckily taken the entire matter in to their hands and are trying their utmost to solve this huge problem effectively.
Look carefully at the "sent from" address as well as the ultimate destination of any links. Familiarise yourself with the genuine ones. Only in this way can you truly form any defensive line against these scammers.
Ignore The Scammer Emails
In the year 2012, HMRC tracked down nearly 522 illegal websites and effectively closed them off. HMRC has also revealed that the origination of these sites was identified to be from several countries including Japan, Russia, Unites States of America and Central and Eastern Europe.
We also discovered that the head of security of HMRC has given a statement in which he says that HMRC rarely send E-mails at all. He stated that HMRC send tax back by post and never by E-mails. OnTax Accountant Dunfermline has also learned that HMRC have been alerting people about these E-mails and have been given them instructions of what actions to take if they ever receive these scam E-mails.
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