September 2011 - HMRC related fraudulent emails soar

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have stated that reports of fraudulent "phishing" emails have risen by 300 per cent over the past year. They remind all taxpayers that it is essential that if you receive an email claiming to be from HMRC telling you that they are due a tax repayment you do not follow the email's instructions.

The emails provide a "click-through link" to a cloned replica of the HMRC website. The recipient is then asked to provide their credit or debit card details. This information then enables criminals to steal the account. Victims risk not only having their bank accounts emptied but also their personal details sold on to other organised criminal gangs.

Almost 24,000 emails of this nature were reported to HMRC in August alone - an increase of nearly 300 per cent compared to the same month last year.

HMRC is currently helping to shut down around 100 fraudulent websites a month.