UK Taxpayers Targeted By Internet Fraudsters

by Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London

07 January 2009

It has emerged that taxpayers in the United Kingdom are being targeted by an email phishing scam in the run up to the tax return filing deadline.

Taxpayers preparing to file their returns online ahead of the January 31 deadline are being warned to be on their guard for an email which purports to be from HM Revenue and Customs offering a tax refund. However when recipients click on the link provided in the email, they are directed to a clone of HMRC's website where they are invited to enter personal details such as their name, address and credit card number.

The email reads: "Over the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of GBP99.23. Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 3-6 days in order to process it."

The scam has been detected by online security firm Websense, which has blocked access to the site for its customers. It is unknown how many taxpayers may have been duped by the scam, but its timing, in the last weeks before the filing deadline when many thousands of taxpayers are expected to transmit their tax returns, is no coincidence.

Such phishing frauds have grown common in recent years as more and more people choose to file their tax returns online, and have targeted taxpayers in the United States, Australia and many other countries.

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