Is this pukka?

Is this pukka?

Didn't find your answer?

just had an e-mail , ostensibly from HMRC saying this: (nothing flagged on HMRC home page)

Dear Customer

The Bank of Santander is having problems with their Bill Pay service that customers use to pay their tax by credit card or debit card. We are working with them to sort this out.

There are other ways you can pay us. These are:

· By Faster Payments. You can find out more at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/payinghmrc/selfassessment.htm#5

· At your bank · At the Post Office

· By Debit/Credit card

· You can find out more about these other methods of payment at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/payinghmrc/selfassessment.htm

Please continue to try to pay us, but if your payment is late because of the problems Santander is experiencing you will not have to pay a penalty or interest for late payment.

You can still send us your tax return as usual.

Replies (16)

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By spidersong
31st Jan 2013 13:28

Wouldn't have thought so

The links in the copy and paste go to hmrc-corporatecommunications.co.uk rather than to a gov.uk address. The domain name is registered to Bang Communications in Basingstoke and not to HMRC. If you go to the top level of the domain it transfers you  to a company offering efficient communications marketing tools.

So I'd be rather suspect!

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By fpurves
31st Jan 2013 13:28

Dodgy Dogy Dodgy

Hi OGA.

I also received this e-mail and what I do when I get these types of e-mail  is to hover over the link  - I use outlook so it very conventiently pops up a little box that tells me where the link is actually going to direct me to.... which funnily enough is NOT the link that is actually displayed on the e-mail.

so you think you are clicking on www.hmrc.gov.uk/paying hmrc.... and you are actually being put to

http://www.hmrc-corporatecommunications.co.uk/_/app/emailRobot/index/cli...

If you are not using outlook - then I think if you highlight the link( not clicking on it) select copy and then in word/ notepad chose paste text only. This will let you see where you are really being directed to.

Always a handy one to know :)

 

Fi

 

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By neileg
31st Jan 2013 13:31

Not pukka

If you hover your mouse over the links you will see they are pointing to another website. Although this has hmrc at the start, it has a .co.uk extension. HMRC would be .gov.uk

Edit: beaten to it twice! At least we all agree with each other.

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By fpurves
31st Jan 2013 14:01

All agreeing with each other....

now there is a 1st for a-web.

Maybe we are all just to tired today to argue :).

"Happy tax return day to one and all".

May all your submissions be done and there be a large measure of what ever your favourite tipple is be waiting for you at home tonight.

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By vince8
31st Jan 2013 14:13

Please explain

If I click on the HMRC link it takes me to the correct page for payment. If I click on the link in your message it gets me nowhere.

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By jaybee661
31st Jan 2013 14:29

I am not sure...

I don't think this is a scam you know, a client has had huge problems this morning trying to use Bill Pay so it does make perfect sense.

There are no links in the message that take you to any form of payment page, so I don't see why this would be a scam?

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By ACDWebb
31st Jan 2013 14:41

oops

that'll teach me not to search!!

As fpurves says the link goes somewhere completely different to the HMRC.gov it purports to

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Quack
By Constantly Confused
31st Jan 2013 15:08

Educate me

If you click the link in the email (despite it saying corporate communications) it does take you to the 'real' HMRC site.

Presumably it passes through the other site, what does that then mean?

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Replying to Tornado:
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By ACDWebb
31st Jan 2013 16:00

Fair enough

Constantly Confused wrote:

If you click the link in the email (despite it saying corporate communications) it does take you to the 'real' HMRC site.

Presumably it passes through the other site, what does that then mean?

I just have an automatic paranoia reflect to any email with a link that says one thing but the html link appears to point elsewhere
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Replying to cubi:
Quack
By Constantly Confused
31st Jan 2013 16:52

.

ACDWebb wrote:

Constantly Confused wrote:

If you click the link in the email (despite it saying corporate communications) it does take you to the 'real' HMRC site.

Presumably it passes through the other site, what does that then mean?

I just have an automatic paranoia reflect to any email with a link that says one thing but the html link appears to point elsewhere

Paranoia is my friend.

DOES the fact it passes through another website first make a difference?  Does it allow them to track where you went or somesuch?

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Replying to Ruddles:
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By ACDWebb
31st Jan 2013 21:21

Pass

Constantly Confused wrote:

ACDWebb wrote:

Constantly Confused wrote:

If you click the link in the email (despite it saying corporate communications) it does take you to the 'real' HMRC site.

Presumably it passes through the other site, what does that then mean?

I just have an automatic paranoia reflect to any email with a link that says one thing but the html link appears to point elsewhere

Paranoia is my friend.

DOES the fact it passes through another website first make a difference?  Does it allow them to track where you went or somesuch?

Pass. I just avoid such links as a matter of course. It was slightly tempered by a UK address on a Whois lookup on the domain name rather than the usual Russia or some far flung country or rock in the middle of nowhere
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By neiltonks
31st Jan 2013 15:33

The actually looks genuine. As someone else commented, the hmrc-corporatecommunications URL belongs to Bang communications. They're a genuine company who carry out work for a number of other government departments so it's quite possible that HMRC are also a client.

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By DMGbus
31st Jan 2013 15:53

Agree has credibility

Firstly, last night it was a certain fact that HMRC / Santander Bill Pay service was not functioning properly.

Then secondly, the quoted links did feed through to genuine hmrc.gov.uk webpages.

(in the context of web browsers it is good practice to have the web browser used set up to display the web page address, and then if in doubt read through the whole length of a web page address to form a view as to it's authenticity).

 

 

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By sally1964
31st Jan 2013 16:42

Santander

I pay my tax via Santander - went to my account and money has been transferred.

Checked on HM website and money received.

 

Definatelty a scam - i ignored it>

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By Shirley Martin
31st Jan 2013 16:45

HMRC have said there ARE problems

It's on the Tax Faculty website here:

http://www.ion.icaew.com/TaxFaculty/26185

Kind regards

Shirley

 

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By DMGbus
31st Jan 2013 18:47

BillPay is now working again (evening of 31 Jan)

Just settled my liability via Bill Pay - working normally this evening - following previous evening's problems.

 

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