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Scammers have wasted no time in sending out fake tax refund emails as they bid to cash in on the Government's mix-up. Up to six million people will receive official letters from HM Revenue & Customs telling them that they've paid incorrect tax due to Government errors.
But fraudsters have 'jumped on the bandwagon' and are already sending out new 'phishing' emails that claim to offer a refund from HMRC or ask for a payment, a security researcher has warned.
These follow a series of fake taxman emails that have attempted to scam people for some time.
Britons are being told to ignore any email or phone demands for personal details or cash because HMRC never contacts people this way. Chris Hopson at HMRC says: 'We only ever contact customers who are due a tax refund in writing, by post. We urge anyone receiving a phone call claiming to be from us not to give any information, but report it to the police.
'If customers receive an email claiming to be from HMRC, send it to us for investigation.'
Security researcher Chris Boyd, from Sunbelt Software, wrote on his blog to warn unsuspecting victims today after his filters picked up on a fake email. The email asks people to complete an online application to receive a refund of more than £300. He posted a screenshot of the email on his blog.
He said: 'Scammers have been quick to jump on the payout bandwagon.'
'Tax refund scam mails have been popular for a long time, but in the current climate of 'our tax office has screwed up in spectacular fashion' it seems phishers will be giving it some serious attention.' Last month, the BBC revealed that more than 180 websites responsible for income tax phishing e-mails had been closed down by the authorities in the past three months.
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Plus: Don't pay up!!
This isn't something I'd bother posting here but given the fact it may affect millions of British taxpayers, just thought I'd let you know what's happening.
