Scam Alert! - impersonating the Inland Revenue

Scam Alert! - impersonating the Inland Revenue

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I have just received the following email purporting to come from HMRC. Needless to say, if I was stupid enough to "click here", it would send me to a non-HMRC website.

"Please Note: After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of £ 384 (three hundred and eighty four pounds).

Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 6-9 working days in order to process it. A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons. For example submitting invalid records or applying after a deadline

To access the form for your tax refund click here

The deadline for accepting your request is 10 February 2007"

Simon Paskin

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By User deleted
09th Feb 2007 08:55

From abroad - will any action be taken ?
A clue to the origin of the scam eMails is the terminology.

"Fiscal activity" is not commonly used in the UK, but might be a phrase in circulation in Nigeria (as in Nigeria penal code 419 scams).

I expect that this is a "fishing scam" attempting to gain details of valid UK bank account details.

I wonder what would happen if someone replied to such a scam quoting the HM Revenue & Customs bank account details (as on tax payslips).

I recall that it was supposedly "not possible" ( or a more likely a "couldn't care less" low priority) to change the law regarding enforceability of "Account payee" cheques - that is until such cheques sent to the UK tax authorities were intercepted by criminals and altered - and miraculously the law was then rapidly changed to make "Account payee" effective.

So, if HMRC were to become victims of thie current fishing scam then I am sure that the authorities would soon take the issue more seriously.

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By andyprentice
09th Feb 2007 09:48

a bit more sophisticated than usual
the email redirects you to a straight 'lift' of hmrc website online services first page. Usually it is a pure clone with a dodgy address - this one seems to pull the actual website into it's own space. I suppose it is easy to do if you know how it works.

Yes I was stupid enough to click here to find out - better go see what virus I've picked up...

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By Beacon
09th Feb 2007 18:02

Scam e-mail
I too received the same e-mail proporting to come from HMRC with the same refund figure. We know its a scam but being at this time of year and expecting a refund some clients may well be taken in. I have sent a warning out to all my clients to not reply to anything like this but to forward it to me (I have just uprated my virus protection again)

Good for PR if you save a client being scammed!

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By Paul Soper
09th Feb 2007 18:13

Phishing but not HMRC this time!
The revenue are aware of the scam and seemingly do propose taking action - there is a link, and has been for the last month or so, on their home page to this notice - http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/security/spoofs.htm

It is well worth alerting clients because these scams all work on the principle that there is a sucker born every minute, and of course the problem is, there is!

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By dan06
13th Feb 2007 16:27

Scam
AccountingWEB has already covered this story, here.

Dan Martin
AccountingWEB

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