Criminals are targeting taxpayers via phoney emails as the 31 January self-assessment deadline beckons. Don't get caught, else you could end up with an empty bank account and no money to pay the taxman..
With just a handful of days to go before the online self-assessment deadline on January 31, it's a fair bet – based on past years – that the best part of two million have still to complete in their tax return. It's equally a reasonable punt that at least one million will fail to meet the cut-off date and end up with fines, interest and penalties.
But this is not about filling in your tax return. It's a warning what might happen both to those who complete their return and those who don't. You could get caught in a 'phishing' scam where you get a message saying you have a tax rebate due to you.
As most of us spend most of our money paying the other way, news of a rebate is more than welcome. However, the message does not come from HMRC as it would appear but from evil overseas-based scamsters who want to strip your bank account bare rather than give you anything.
The false message looks like this. It appears quite good – except for the English. The UK tax authorities rarely use the American word 'fiscal' and would never sign a letter with 'Best Regards'. If you receive a message like this then delete it without hesitation.
Tips for safely submitting your tax return
- Don't open suspicious emails that appear to come from HMRC or click on links contained within them. HMRC never sends details of tax issues such as rebates by email.
- Don't call telephone numbers contained within these emails. There have been a number of cases where the scam is operated by telephone.
- Access the HRMC website directly by entering the address (www.hmrc.gov.uk/sa) in your browser
- Keep your passwords secure and do not share them with anyone.
- Make sure your anti-virus software is up to date and contains an anti-spyware component.
Read this article at http://www.candidmoney.com/articles/article54.aspx
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