HMRC have released another warning regarding scam emails supposedly from HMRC offering tax rebates. While HMRC may send you an email from time to time, it would never do so requesting login, bank and credit card details. Despite these emails containing the HMRC logo, they are fake. Please do not follow any links within the email, respond to it or disclose personal details. Instead, forward the email to HMRC at phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk.
HMRC has compiled a list of points to help you recognise a scam email:
- The padlock - when you log on to HMRC Online Services you are always in a 'secure session' - which is shown by the padlock in the bottom right hand corner of your web browser.
- Your name - fraudulent emails are not normally addressed to you personally, they can be missing addressee details or contain something vague such as 'Dear valued customer'.
- The sender – HM Revenue and Customs was formed on the 18 April 2005 following the merger of Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise departments. Those former departmental names no longer exist.
- Embedded links - the email may include a link that you are asked to follow to take you to a website. Following the link takes you to a site that may look genuine, but it is most probably a fake. In the email, if you hover your mouse pointer over the link it will show the real address you will be directed to.
If you have good cause to suspect that your personal details have been stolen by fraudsters either by email or on the Internet, HMRC recommend that you report the incident to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), via their abuse hotline (eg
abuse@yahoo.com, abuse@aol.com etc). They are in a position to close down sites that are found to be bogus.