{"id":38683,"date":"2014-02-07T10:23:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-07T10:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=229ff207e12d7141b09924e737dece06"},"modified":"2014-02-07T10:23:00","modified_gmt":"2014-02-07T10:23:00","slug":"news-story-taxman-warns-against-rebate-phishing-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=38683","title":{"rendered":"News story: HMRC warns against rebate phishing scams"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A record-breaking 8.48 million tax returns were filed online by last week\u2019s 31 January filing deadline. However, the three months prior to the deadline also saw customers report 23,247 phishing emails to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC<\/abbr>) \u2013 up 47% on the same period a year earlier. During 2013, customers reported over 91,000 phishing emails to HMRC<\/abbr>. <\/p>\n

Anyone responding to this type of email risks opening their bank account to fraudsters and having their details sold on to other organised criminal gangs.<\/p>\n

As a result of customers forwarding these emails to HMRC<\/abbr>, the department was last month able to close 178 websites which it found were the source of these emails \u2013 up from 65 in January 2013. During 2013, HMRC<\/abbr> closed down 1,476 websites sending these types of scam emails.<\/p>\n

Gareth Lloyd, Head of Digital Security at HMRC<\/abbr>, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cHMRC<\/abbr> never contacts customers who are due a tax refund via email \u2013 we always send a letter through the post.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you receive an email claiming to be from HMRC<\/abbr> which offers a tax rebate, please send it to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk and then delete it permanently. We can, and do, close these websites down, and do all we can to ensure taxpayers stay safe online by working with law enforcement agencies around the world to target the criminals behind these scams.\u201d<\/p>\n

HMRC<\/abbr> strongly advises customers who receive such an email to:<\/p>\n