HMRC are now warning of three types of fraudulent emails in circulation claimin to be from them:
- Notice of under reported income;
- National Insurance;
- Tax Refund.
Notice of Underreported Income
An email from no-reply@hmrc.gov.uk entitled Notice of Underreported Income is in circulation. It links to a fake HMRC website entitled ‘Fraud Application’ and asks you download and review a tax statement document. The website then opens an executable file on your machine.
The email is not from HMRC. You should be aware that opening executable files (.exe) over the internet can potentially compromise the security of your machine.
HMRC never issue emails asking for personal details.
Do not visit the website contained within the email or disclose any personal or payment information.
If you receive an email requesting such information, please forward it tophishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk and then delete it.
National Insurance Contributions
An email is in circulation entitled National Insurance Contributions, stating that a payment has not been made. The email contains a link to a fraudulent website that requests the disclosure of payment/personal details. The email is not from HMRC.
Tax Refund
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is warning people not to fall for scam emails suggesting the recipient is eligible for a tax refund.
The messages claim personal details such as date of birth and credit card numbers have to be revealed before the money can be repaid and are "extremely realistic."
It begins:
"Dear Applicant. After the last annual calculation of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of ...."
A spokesman for the department said: "HMRC would not inform customers of a tax rebate via email, or invite them to complete an online form to receive a rebate of tax. Do not visit the website contained within the email or disclose any personal or payment information."
The fraudulent email is the latest in a series of scam messages that have been sent out claiming to be from HMRC. Another email doing the rounds is one that claims that HMRC has approved the recipient to receive money.
Email addresses used to distribute the fraudulent emails include:
hmrc@hmrc.taxe-refund.com.uk
successful@gov.uk
customer.office@hmrc.customsoffice.gov.uk
notify2@hrms.co.uk
refundtax@hmrc.gov.co.uk
TaxRefund@hmrc.gov.uk
service@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
claims@hmrc.direct.gov.uk
notice@hmrc.gov.uk
hmrc@hmrc.gov.uk
admin@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
info@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
no-reply@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
refund@hmrc.gov.uk
Refound@hmrc.gov.uk
IRS@hmrc.gov.uk
services@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
service@HMRC.co.uk
The following departmental names have been used by scammers in their attempts to obtain either personal information, or monies via unsolicited emails:
British Customs Services
British Inland Revenue Commission
British Inland Revenue Department
British Inland Tax Authority
British Inland Tax Revenue
British Tax and Revenue Commission
British Tax Investigation Service
British Tax Records
Directorate of Inland Revenue
Federal Inland Revenue Commission
Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs Services
HM Inland Revenue
HM Revenue and Custom
HM Revenue & Tax Commission
HM Treasury Board
Inland Revenue & Customs
Inland Revenue and Customs Board
Inland Revenue Board
Inland Revenue Service Department
Inland Tax Clearance
Inland Tax Revenue
Taxation and Revenue Department
UK Customs Services
Please also note HMRC was formed on the 18 April 2005, following the merger of Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise Departments.
This article was updated on 15 October 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment