• October 21, 2020

UK Malayalee councillors issue statement asking community to be aware of bogus phone calls from ‘HMRC’

By A Staff Reporter

LONDON October 21: UK Malayalee councillors have issued a collective statement asking the community to be aware and not to fall victim to fake scam phone calls, messages and letters allegedly from the HMRC, Sugathan Thekkepurayil, councillor from Newham Council in London, informed this website.

Reports say that there are several Malayalees who have fallen for these scam calls and lost money or compromised on their bank cards or personal details.

The calls will be coming in from numbers which would be exactly similar to numbers from the HMRC. The emails would come in somewhat exactly showing the right email address from HMRC and text messages would also seem to be

Fraudsters are using spoofing, which is the act of disguising a communication from an unknown source as being from a known, trusted source. Spoofing can apply to emails, phone calls, and websites, or can be more technical, such as a computer spoofing an IP address, Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), or Domain Name System (DNS) server.

HMRC is aware of an automated phone call scam which will tell you HMRC is filing a lawsuit against you, and to press one to speak to a caseworker to make a payment. This is a scam and you should end the call immediately. This scam has been widely reported and often targets elderly and vulnerable people.

Other scam calls may offer a tax refund and request you to provide your bank or credit card information. If you cannot verify the identity of the caller, HMRC recommend that you do not speak to them. If you’ve been a victim of the scam and suffered financial loss, report it to Action Fraud.

The calls use a variety of phone numbers. To help our investigations you should report full details of the scam by email to: phishing@hmrc.gov.uk, including the: date of the call, phone number used and content of the call.

There has been instance of fake WhatsApp messages too. HMRC will never use ‘WhatsApp’ to contact customers about a tax refund. If you receive any communication through ‘WhatsApp’ saying it’s from HMRC, it is a scam. Email details of the message to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk then delete it.

HMRC is aware of direct messages sent to customers through social media. A recent scam was identified on Twitter offering a tax refund. These messages are not from genuine HMRC social media accounts and are a scam. We never use social media to offer a tax rebate, request personal or financial information. If you cannot verify the identify of the social media account, send the details by email to: phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and ignore it.

HMRC is also aware of companies that send emails or texts advertising their services. They offer to apply to HMRC for a tax rebate on your behalf, usually for a fee. These companies are not connected with HMRC in any way. You should read the ‘small print’ and disclaimers before using their services.

In regards to Text messages HMRC will never ask for personal or financial information when HMRC send text messages. Do not reply if you get a text message claiming to be from HMRC offering you a tax refund in exchange for personal or financial details. Do not open any links in the message. Send any phishing text messages to 60599 (network charges apply) or email phishing@hmrc.gov.uk then delete it.

There is also the latest Coronavirus (COVID-19) scams. HMRC is aware of a phishing campaign telling customers they can claim a tax refund to help protect themselves from the coronavirus outbreak. Do not reply to the email and do not open any links in the message.

If you have been cheated or have been contacted by fraudsters contact Action Fraud https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

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