Tax refund scam hits the UK
The organised crime division of the UK police has today issued guidance regarding a tax refund scam which has hit many people across the country. The e-mail is purported to be from a tax officer in the Preston office of HM Revenue and Customs and asks for recipients to fill in a form in order to reclaim tax. However, the form is nothing more than a cover to obtain personal banking details which will be used further down the line to clear out your account.
The well-organised scam includes an e-mail which looks and feels like an official correspondence from the tax office and even includes a 0845 number which will put you through to the tax authorities themselves. The organised crime operation has also highlighted the fact that the e-mail contains a potentially harmful link to an HMRC duplicate website which could allow the fraudsters to download potentially harmful viruses to your computer.
This is not the first tax refund scam to hit the UK but it is one which appears more organised and more genuine than most. In simple terms, if you have not requested a tax refund and you receive an unsolicited e-mail asking for personal details the chances are it is a fraud. However, if you want to check the situation simply call your local tax office direct, without giving any information to the sender of the e-mail, and see exactly what is going on. Never reply to unsolicited e-mails as these are the food and drink of the modern-day fraudster.
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