Fraudulent emails from ‘HMRC’
More fraudulent emails are being sent to taxpayers. The emails appear to come from HMRC and offer tax rebates.
These are not genuine HMRC messages and should be disregarded.
These emails are simply a ‘phishing’ exercise that uses bogus e-mails and websitesto trick taxpayers into supplying confidential and bank information.
HMRC have reconfirmed that they never advise taxpayers of tax refunds by email and would not ask for bank or paypal information in this way either. HMRC do not make tax refunds to paypal accounts.
You should also be aware of HMRC’s warnings about companies that are advertising their services to claim rebates on your behalf. These companies can apply to HMRC for a rebate of National Insurance/tax on the customer’s behalf, usually for a fee. These companies are not connected with HMRC in any way.
Do not click on the links in emails if you are unsure as to their legitimacy. This is especially true with regards to emails that refer to tax refunds or otherwise purport to be from HMRC.