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With the 30 September 'deadline' for self-assessment tax returns drawing ever closer, HMRC have warned about online fraudsters attempting to solicit people's confidential financial details.
As taxpayers prepare to submit their information to HMRC, criminals are attempting to 'phish' for the personal details of unwitting members of the public by posing as legitimate tax officials.
Victims are sent an unsolicited email with an embedded link that takes them to a seemingly authentic HMRC website that demands visitors' financial information, which is then used for purposes of fraud.
“It is very important that you do not respond to these scams,” said HMRC. “We will not send unsolicited emails requesting personal information."
The body added: “We take the abuse of our website very seriously and notify the police when we became aware of any scams.”
Advice about HMRC-related phishing can be found at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/security/spoofs.htm, along with details of current scams and an online facility for people to alert the HMRC to suspicious behaviour.
