Tax Refund E-mail Scam

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is warning taxpayers to be on their guard against fraudulent phishing emails, after almost 75,000 fake emails were reported over the last six months.

The emails promise a tax refund, and often ask for a recipient’s name, address, date of birth, bank and credit card details – including passwords and their mother’s maiden name. Once the victim has provided the information, money is stolen from their bank account and their details are sold on to other criminal gangs, which can lead to identity theft.

If you are due for a tax refund, HMRC never contacts you by email – they always send a letter through the post.

If you receive an email which claims to be from HMRC, and which offers you a tax refund, you should send it to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk and then permanently delete it.

You can check www.hmrc.gov.uk for online security advice from HMRC. You can also see examples of phishing emails there.