Don’t Be A Victim Of Bogus/Phishing HMRC Emails

It seems that although phishing emails have been around for many years, the number of people who are falling for these scams is increasing each year.

The reason for this is that the fraudsters are becoming more ingenious in their methods of obtaining your personal details. The fake emails they produce do look as though they have been sent from HMRC so it is very easy to see why so many people believe that they are genuine.

The most basic scam involves an email which advises you that HMRC have calculated you are due a tax refund and all you need to do is follow the link, enter your information and a refund will be sent to you.

There are a number of different ways these emails are worded but they are basically all the same.

Tip
HMRC will never ask you for any personal details by email.

What To Do If You Receive An Email

If you receive an email you believe is bogus, do not click the link.

Instead, please forward the email to the online security team at HMRC. The address is phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk.

Forwarding the email to HMRC will enable them to try and track down the fraudsters.

It’s Not Just By Email

As well as bogus emails there have also been reports of bogus phone calls and even home visits by people pretending to be tax officers.

Tip
Unless you can definitely identify the person, do not give any details and report the matter to the police

Here is a list of examples of phishing methods so that you can see what to look out for.

Has anyone been a victim of bogus or phishing HMRC emails? It would be great if you could share your experience as that could help others to avoid this.

Vikki

Did You Know?
Striped Leopard liaise with HMRC on behalf of our clients so that they don’t have to worry.
To find out how we can help you then please contact us.