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A record 83,000 scam emails offering fake tax refunds were reported to HMRC in September.
The online swindles, known as phishing, have continued in October, with an unprecedented 10,000 reports made to the Revenue on one day alone.
The increase is partly due to taxpayers following HMRC advice and forwarding the hoax messages to the department’s online reporting facility.
The latest scams inform recipients that they are due a tax refund and then ask for bank account details or credit card numbers.
Anyone who hands over such information risks having their bank account being emptied and credit card used to its limit. Victims are also in danger of having their personal details sold on to other criminal gangs.
The fraud originates from various different websites, which operate for just 20 minutes before changing their domain names.
The Revenue has confirmed that it only contacts taxpayers due a refund in writing by post. The taxman is taking action to disrupt online attacks; through co-operation with other law enforcement agencies in the UK and overseas a number of scam networks have been shut down.
Taxpayers are advised to:
- Check the advice published online to see if an email received is listed as fraudulent.
- Forward suspicious messages to HMRC at phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk, and then delete them.
- Do not click on websites or links contained in suspicious emails, and do not open attachments.
For more information, visit HMRC's dedicated web page.
