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Security warning - beware scam e-mails appearing to come from HM Revenue & Customs

Many people have been receiving fake e-mails, purporting to be from the Revenue, promising repayment. From here on the scam appears to be like many others - a link taking you to a page where you can input your bank details. Don't do it! If in doubt, hover the cursor over the link and look at the address at the bottom of the screen, and immediately you will see that something is badly wrong. (this won't work in the example shown below as I have disabled the link for, I hope, obvious reasons!)

HMRC does not issue e-mails like this. In fact, as anyone with a genuine overpayment awaiting repayment will tell you, the Revenue at times seems to be doing everything it can these days not to have to pay money back! I have reproduced an e-mail I have received here - it looks reasonably convincing, but there are the usual telltale signs, such as the language and spelling being not quite right (e.g. HMRC does not typically use the term "refund"). But the biggest telltale sign is this: you weren't expecting it and it seems to good to be true  - and that's because, sadly, it is too good to be true.

Remember that anyone registered for online tax services, whether personally or through their advisor, can quickly check their payment status online with HMRC. So if you think you are due a repayment, log on or ask your agent to do so.

What follows is an actual example of one of these scam e-mails, and is included here to help you to spot similar phishing attacks. Please do not attempt to use any of the addresses or other information shown - no responsibility can be accepted for any consequences arising from such actions. The logos of HMRC and BusinessLink are included as they were in the original scam e-mail; the inclusion of them here does not indicate any endorsement by either HMRC or BusinessLink of this website or any of its contents.

secure@hmrc.gov.uk
HM Revenue & Customs Tax Refund Notification
From:HM Revenue & Customs <secure@hmrc.gov.uk>
To:secure@hmrc.gov.uk
Date:Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:07


Dear Tax Payer,

Your tax payment refund has accrued up to 3,997.32. GBP

Kindly respond to this mail so that your tax refund will be processed through your online banking and paid within 72hours of receiving the information that we've requested.

Please click here to place your Tax Refund request.

The tax refund payment will not be initiated if we do not receive your credentials.

Personal and Corporate Tax Refund Centre (PCTRC)
HM Revenue & Customs































As stated above, this is an actual example of a scam e-mail, using a data-gathering technique known as "phishing", and is included here to help you to spot similar phishing attacks. Please do not attempt to use any of the addresses or other information shown - no responsibility can be accepted for any consequences arising from such actions. The logos of HMRC and BusinessLink are included as they were in the original scam e-mail; the inclusion of them here does not indicate any endorsement by either HMRC or BusinessLink of this website or any of its contents.

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