Email users across the North East should be wary about a scam in which fraudsters attempt to take advantage of people during the cost of living crisis.
Users of popular email services such as Gmail, Outlook and Hotmail have been warned about a fake message, which informs victims that they are owed money by HMRC. It claims that this is due to an overpayment during the last financial year.
The Express reports how recipients are then asked to click on a link to claim the refund - but this link should not be clicked. If it is, it will take the user to a fraudulent website that will look to steal personal and financial information.
Read more: List of people who are set to miss out on the £400 energy bill discount
Scammers have gone to a lot of effort to make this fake email look convincing as it features similar branding to official Government messages. Those who receive the scam message can report it by forward it to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk.
Action Fraud – the UK's national fraud and cyber reporting centre – said it had received hundreds of reports of the scam. In a recent social media post, they said: "Criminals target the public with fake HMRC tax refund emails. We've received 442 reports in two weeks about fake emails purporting to be from HMRC.
"The emails state the recipient is owed a tax refund (rebate), and the links provided in the emails lead to genuine-looking phishing websites that are designed to steal personal and financial information. HMRC will never send notifications of a tax rebate to ask you to disclose personal or payment information by email."
People can check if an email is a scam by double-checking the email address of a sender and looking out for typos - as official correspondences from big name organisations shouldn't have these mistakes.
An official email from an organisation in question should be sent from an email account attached to an official domain name. If the sender's email is from a domain name that is similar to an official one, but not quite right, or is even from a Hotmail or Google account then this should set alarm bells ringing.
Those who check these things but still aren't certain can simply get in touch with the organisation in question to double-check if the correspondence they have received is genuine. While this will take a bit more time, it will save them a lot more in the time and stress that would be caused if you did end up falling victim to such a scam.
This latest fake email has been highlighted after Action Fraud also recently revealed another message the public has to be aware of. Scammers have been spreading a fake email allegedly from energy regulator Ofgem, with the message claiming to offer a Government-backed rebate to help with your energy bills.
Action Fraud received over 700 reports of this scam in the space of just four days.
Speaking to Express.co.uk about this threat recently, Detective Chief Inspector Craig Mullish, from the City of London Police, said: "There has been a sudden flurry of reports relating to fake emails purporting to be from Ofgem. These attempt to hook the public in by claiming that the recipient is eligible to apply for an energy bill rebate.
"The link will then take you through to a genuine-looking website that intends to steal your personal and financial information. As with many scams, we advise the public to follow the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign to keep themselves safe from fraud."
DCI Mullish also revealed a few steps people should take whenever they receive an unsolicited email which will help them spotting a scam...
• Stop - Take a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe
• Challenge - Could it be fake? It’s okay to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you
• Protect - If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040
Read more:
-
The Wanted cancel Newcastle Racecourse gig and tell fans it's 'too soon' after Tom Parker's death
-
Shock as x-ray pictures reveals airgun pellet embedded in stray cat’s head
-
Johnny Depp set to make appearance in Gateshead at Jeff Beck Sage show tomorrow
-
Danger driver handed indefinite prison sentence after killing Sunderland mother flees from jail
