Sophos Detects Fake E-mails Masquerading HMRC

According to researchers from Sophos the security company, e-mails posing as messages from HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs) the tax-collection body of UK are presently circulating online while aiming at unwitting Internet-users.

The scam electronic mail captioned, "Tax refund notification" and addressing the taxpayer, seemingly informs the recipient about HMRC's recent yearly calculation of the financial transactions by which, the recipient is entitled to one tax-reimbursement amounting to 223.56 GBP. Thus, the recipient is requested to apply for the tax re-imbursement while letting the body for processing the application within 6-9 days as stated by the e-mail.

Thereafter, the e-mail states that the user needs to follow some given directions for claiming his tax refund. These are taking down the Tax Refund Form given in a file attachment in the message, viewing it inside any Web-browser, followed with doing the remaining things as per the directions appearing successively.

Finally, according to the fake e-mail, a delay in the refund may happen due to various reasons like providing incorrect records alternatively submitting the request past the deadline.

However, if the attachment is opened, the resultant form in a web-page asks the user for providing his/her name, birth-date, postal address, telephone number as well as payment card details.

Moreover, filling out the form and sending it won't actually end up with HMRC rather it'll go into the hands of criminals devoid of the victim's awareness else consent, the researchers warn.

Besides, HMRC too warns that consumers who're entitled for a refund will solely be contacted through post. The tax organization emphasizes that it won't ever resort to phone calls, e-mails alternatively any similar communication mode during these situations.

Hence, it's advisable that people getting such scam electronic mails immediately report them to HMRC, without viewing any attachment alternatively following web-links, Tax Officials state.

Indeed, any e-mail seemingly sent from HMRC but promising a tax re-imbursement must not be opened while it should be forwarded at phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk, they recommend.

Conclusively, likewise the above tax-related fraudulent e-mail, messages targeted British taxpayers during October 2011 and then March 2011 too that were scammers' attempts at capitalizing on HMRC's tax-reimbursement scheme.

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» SPAMfighter News - 1/7/2012