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UK taxpayers warned of fraudulent emails

Taxpayers in the UK have been warned by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to keep an eye out for fraudulent phishing emails that can leave them exposed to ID theft.

According to HMRC, thousands of businesses and the self-employed are being targeted by fraudsters, who have sent out the emails designed to exploit the upcoming January 31st self-assessment tax deadline.

The phishing emails encourage consumers to reveal their bank or credit card details by alleging that they are due for a tax refund, which HMRC needs to deposit in their bank accounts.

HMRC chief executive Lesley Strathie, said: "This is the most sophisticated and prolific phishing scam that we have encountered. We only ever contact customers who are due a refund in writing by post.

"We never use emails, telephone calls or external companies in these circumstances. I would strongly encourage anyone receiving such an email to send it to us for investigation."

Between April and November last year, HMRC received 11,000 fake e-mails that were forwarded by concerned taxpayers.

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