Don't be fooled by tax emails, warns HMRC

DON’T be fooled by a council tax rebate email scam, warn HM Revenue and Customs.

Taxpayers reported receiving almost 80,000 tax rebate phishing emails last year from fraudsters promising a tax refund – after you provide bank details.

The clever scammers, who then use the details to fraudulently access accounts, or sell them on to criminal gangs, often provide a link to a clone of HMRC’s real website.

The agency took down 522 illegal sites in 2012, with such emails shown to be originating from the US, Russia, Japan and Eastern Europe.

Gareth Lloyd, head of digital security for HMRC, said: “We only ever contact customers who are genuinely due tax back in writing, by post. We’ll never email customers.”

If anyone receives an email offering a tax rebate and claiming to be from HMRC, please send it to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk before deleting it. More advice at hmrc.gov.uk/securituy/index.htm

Comments(6)

Hammy1 says...
11:32am Mon 25 Feb 13

Are people really that gullible the Government of this country giving money back be serious it's not going to happen.

HRH of Boscombe says...
11:37am Mon 25 Feb 13

Hammy1 wrote:
Are people really that gullible the Government of this country giving money back be serious it's not going to happen.
I've had several tax rebates without asking. Everytime I've just received an HMRC cheque in the post.

SeafaringMan says...
6:36pm Mon 25 Feb 13

HRH of Boscombe wrote:
Hammy1 wrote:
Are people really that gullible the Government of this country giving money back be serious it's not going to happen.
I've had several tax rebates without asking. Everytime I've just received an HMRC cheque in the post.
You're lucky, for the past two years I have received a letter saying that they got it wrong and I owe them considerable sums more. Still arguing about the last error or omission on the part of HMRC. If they are feeling generous the best I can hope for no doubt is 'time to pay'.

Hammy1 says...
7:39pm Mon 25 Feb 13

SeafaringMan wrote:
HRH of Boscombe wrote:
Hammy1 wrote:
Are people really that gullible the Government of this country giving money back be serious it's not going to happen.
I've had several tax rebates without asking. Everytime I've just received an HMRC cheque in the post.
You're lucky, for the past two years I have received a letter saying that they got it wrong and I owe them considerable sums more. Still arguing about the last error or omission on the part of HMRC. If they are feeling generous the best I can hope for no doubt is 'time to pay'.
I agree you are lucky my son has had bills and fines sent to him every year for the past four years for a business that no longer trades even though he has told them every time that he doesn't owe them anything. It has taken four years but they have finally got the message. They even had the cheek to take one of the fines from a Tax Rebate he was getting. Still waiting for that to be returned. As I said the Government giving money away no chance you can not even get the money back that they wrongfully took in the first place.

Baywolf says...
6:49am Tue 26 Feb 13

What's a tax rebate? More to the point how do you get one ??? Never understood how some people get them and others don't I know it's about earnings and circumstance but if truth be known its how the tax advisor feels on the day?.... Computer says No!

Hammy1 says...
11:06am Tue 26 Feb 13

Maybe HRH of Boscombe knows the Tax Man lol

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