UK Expat Employees Stung By Bogus Inland Revenue Letters

by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London

26 April 2005

It has emerged this week that scammers based in Nigeria have been harvesting the bank details of UK citizens employed overseas by sending letters purporting to be from the Inland Revenue.

According to a BBC report on the matter, the expat employees were being sent bogus P86 forms for staff "Not Ordinarily Resident in the UK" to fill in. Although the return address was given as 'Kensington House, Cheltenham', this was in fact a "brass plate" address, and the completed forms were being forwarded to Lagos.

The UK tax authority has written to several multinational firms and accountants urging them to advise their employees on the features of the scam.

Speaking to the BBC, Cheltenham-based Grant Thornton partner, Mike Warburton explained that:

"A lot of people would be naturally guarded if asked for bank details, except when they get a letter from the Inland Revenue. It's the one official body that writes to you asking for personal information where, as a good citizen, you would respond to it."

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