Beware scam websites
HM Revenue and Customs have recently issued a statement regarding scam websites targeted at people looking to reclaim money from the tax authorities. While these websites look and feel apart, they are nothing but a front for online fraudsters looking to harvest your personal details and then go ahead and apply for finance in your name and clear your bank accounts. So how can we protect ourselves?
You should never respond to unsolicited e-mails which ask for private and confidential information instead looking to take professional financial advice as and when required. The promises of tax reclaims, reduced taxation and other incentives should not cloud your judgment although in the current economic environment it is very easy to be blinded by money. The very fact that HM Revenue and Customs has decided to publicise this particular problem should act as a major warning to those who have access to the Internet.
Historically people have thought it would "never happen to them" when in reality these are the prime targets for the online fraudsters. You should never let down your guard, if it looks too good to be true then it probably is and you should never respond to unsolicited third-party e-mails. You should also ensure that your security software and anti-spy software is up-to-date.
Share this..
Related stories
Northern Rock swallows another £3 billion of taxpayers money
In a rather complex situation it has been revealed that Northern Rock's independent off-balance-sheet funding vehicle has granted an extra £3 billion of taxpayers money to cover mortgages which the bank was unable to transfer. In simple terms the cushion between the money Northern Rock owes it's off-balance-sheet funding vehicle, Granite, and the amount of the mortgages left on the books has dete...
Read MorePublic sector service cuts are inevitable
As the Labour Party and the Tories continue to fight over investment in the UK public sector they seem to missing the point that UK votes know and expect a reduction in investment in due course. As UK national debt moves into the trillions of pounds anybody in their right mind would know that public sector investment, which has been ramped up by the Labour government, cannot continue at the curren...
Read MorePublic-sector cuts hit care home sector
Southern Cross, the UK's largest care home operator, has today issued a profits warning suggesting that the company will miss full-year targets because of a reduction in spending by local authorities. The company operates 730 care homes throughout the UK providing over 37,000 beds although total occupancy rates have fallen from 87.5% last year to 85.4%. Is this the start of a significant reduction...
Read MoreTaxpayers set to feel the strain
As the UK budget comes under more and more pressure with a £175 billion deficit expected this year alone, many taxpayers are already braced for a significant increase in their taxes. Despite what the government and opposition parties are saying in the House of Commons and in the press there is no doubt that taxes will need to rise, and rise quickly, in order to put the UK government budget back o...
Read MoreWill Alistair Darling get his way with next week's budget?
Today's announcement that the UK public sector funding deficit was £5 billion less than expected in February, but still heading for a record for the current tax year, has given Alistair Darling a welcome boost ahead of next week's budget. It is known that friction between Number 10 and Number 11 Downing Street continues to this day with Gordon Brown adamant he will continue his spend, spend, spen...
Read More