There has been a dramatic increase in scam emails pretending to be from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), with complaints rising by 200% in the past week, according to consumer complaints site Resolver.
The fraudulent emails claim that the recipient is due a tax refund, often stating a specific amount such as £675.95. The message urges the recipient to click on a link and provide personal details to receive the refund. However, the link leads to a fake website designed to steal sensitive information.
James Walker, founder of Resolver, warned: "HMRC never contact customers who are due a tax refund by email. They always send letters via post." He added that HMRC may occasionally contact customers by text, but will never ask for personal details or financial information, and advised against clicking any links in such messages.
HMRC has confirmed it will never put a figure on alleged non-payment in any message. If the tax body needs to contact someone about confidential matters, it will write to them. Anyone who receives a suspicious email or text should forward it to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk and then delete it immediately.
Those who believe they may have disclosed personal information in response to a scam should contact HMRC's security team at security.custcon@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk, providing brief details of what was disclosed without including personal information in the email.
