Don’t be reeled in by fraudsters circulating a phishing email scam.
EAST Devon residents are being urged not to be reeled in by fraudsters circulating a phishing email scam.
The warning has been issued by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) as a result of a surge in the number of fake rebate emails being sent following the following the filing deadline of self assessment tax returns.
The emails inform the recipient that they are due a tax rebate and provide a link to a replica HMRC website.
They are asked to provide credit card details where fraudsters then try to take money from their bank account using the details provided.
Chris Hopson, Director of Customer Contact at HMRC, said: “As a matter of policy, HMRC will only ever contact customers who are due a tax refund in writing by post.”
HMRC also said victims risk having their bank accounts emptied and their personal details sold on to other organised criminal gangs.
In the last three months HMRC has shut down 99 websites that were responsible for sending out these fake emails.
Anyone who received an email claiming to be from HMRC can send it to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk before deleting it.
For more information visit www.hmrc.gov.uk/security
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