E-mail scam has workers believing that they’re in line for a bumper tax rebate

Jul 9 2009 by Sandra Walls, Hamilton Advertiser

AN e-mail scam to dupe users into thinking they will receive a tax rebate is targeting hundreds of workers.

One of our reporters received the email and PDF attachment, stating that she was eligible for a tax refund of £284.23.

Our reporter absentmindedly filled in the form and submitted it on Monday morning.

She said: “It wasn’t until Tuesday morning on my way to work that something didn’t ring true about the whole thing.

“I called the tax office to check if the e-mail and rebate form was genuine.

“Sharon from the HM Revenue and Customs in Newcastle informed me that there had been hundreds of calls regarding these types of e-mails and that it was a scam.”

A spokesman for South Lanarkshire Council Consumer and Trading Standards said: “These e-mails should be deleted immediately as they are a hoax.

“HMRC will never ask for your credit card details in this way.

“Indeed all personal tax matters, including payments and refunds, are dealt with via the HMRC self-assessment site, for which you must have a valid account.”

More information is available from http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/security/fraud-attempts.htm.

A police spokesman added: “Anyone who receives any of these types of e-mails should forward it to their local community police office, the Hamilton office address is: HamiltonSouthCommunityPolicingTeam@strathclyde.pnn.police.uk.

“If any money has been taken from a persons bank account we would then start a fraud investigation.”

The PDF attached form in this particular scam gives a genuine looking tax refund number, then asks for your full name, address, post code, date of birth, mother’s maiden name, home phone number, 16-digit bank card number, card expiry date, 3-digit signature panel code number, filing status, i.e. whether you’re single, married etc., and refund amount.

After these details are entered, users click on a submit button and think they will be getting a tax rebate in three to nine working days directly into their account.

In fact what they have done, is given the scammers everything they need to not only clear out the bank account, but also to steal your identity.

They could use this information to apply for passports, credit cards, internet services, buying from sites like e-bay, by phone, and paying for goods directly from your account.

Our reporter added: “I have written many stories about various scams, but because this was an e-mail, and had a genuine-looking tax office logo, I honestly thought that it was a new online service. This is a warning that anyone could be conned.

“I managed to cancel my bank card before anyone was able to take out any money, but the next person may not be so lucky.”