HMRC warns on fake calls pretending as tax officials

The number of phone scam complaints received by the HMRC to January 2019, increased 360 percent (in the last 6 months), where the scammers acted as tax officials and threatened of legal actions if their proposals were not met by the complainants. The Treasury minister said if anybody gets such calls, they should immediately hang up and report. The authorities accountable for tax in the UK said such conmen were using the landline numbers to make cold calls. They cautioned against any such requests where the caller intimidated with legal actions like jail if payments are not made fast, or through vouchers, online or other methods.

The officials stated restrictions on text and email phishing scams have forced criminals to use phone calls to directly contact the victims. Any person who claims to be someone should not be trusted just on phone. One should not make any payment or enter a deal, or provide the login details of their bank account, into the sites suggested by the callers, and should seek counsel before making any such payments.

With the enhancement in software solutions for spoofing and robocalls, the number of fake calls is growing across the world, where some customer errors can allow the spammer to waste time and money of the victim. To restrict it, one can sign up for a Telephone Preference Service, or install other types of equipment like a call blocker on their landline phone. Ofcom identified and closed four-hundred fifty such lines in coordination with HMRC, in the last few years; still, there are around 26 million houses with lines as risk of getting such types of offers.

How to recognize the fake?

Any call from a reputable organization will never force the user to make a payment instantly. They never ask for the bank details or login information on phone or emails. They never contact the person without prior notifications or messages. Any query where the user is asked to enter the PIN, bank details or passwords should be promptly disconnected. To stays safe, it is advised not to provide private information, or reply to such messages.

Some websites look like government websites or as a subsidiary but these can be fake. There are some sites, where information about tax rebates or penalties are given where the visitor is asked to make a small payment to avoid penalties.

Do not click on attachments in emails, especially, when it comes without prior notifications. If one is on the verge of losing money or suffered a financial loss, contact the Action fraud numbers.

The user should report about the text messages, emails and phone calls to the government fraud action office. The complainant needs to mention their phone number, the number from where they received the call, the time and date, and description. If you have given information or personal details to the scammer such as the email number, addresses, user IDs or Password, mention about it, but do not put in the text the information in an email.

To find out more about scams, check 99 Alternatives at (http://www.99alternatives.com).

Date Published: Mar 15, 2019

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