HMRC e-mail scam

Si

Well-Known Member
If you get an e-mail from HMRC saying you are entitled to a tax rebate.... DO NOT open the zip file

HMRC don't send e-mails, it's 100% a scam
 
Cheers Si.

Generally don't ever open a .zip file from anyone except a close friend, preferably with a phone confirmation from them first.

The same phishing scam comes in many guises with things like wedding invitations, UPS shipment docs, etc, etc....

The .zip file will generally give the scamer access to your machine for various evil purposes.
 
Note that the "generic" for all this ***** is to be addressed to "Dear <blank" and not to "Dear Mr Smith" etc.

Also, rubbish about "security", "account locked", "your recent order" etc etc and some random (not actually) number plus a "Please download this harmless <turd> and fill it in with your account details."

Please consign promptly to the "Junk" folder.

I also note that the "fine" Security Software we are expected to buy appears incapable of looking at the above as a "signature" and automatically flagging them. Seems pretty **** poor performance IMO.

I wish I could send them a wedding invitation to "Somewhere in Afghanistan" with a note to "Please bring a gun or suitable stick" and then also invite, say, the local Apache det to the party...
 
Generally don't ever open a .zip file from anyone except a close friend

^^ This.

All these scams use the same MO... they send an executable file within a .ZIP file to try to sneak it past your antivirus/mail client which will normally block executable attachments.

Any email pertaining to be official with a .ZIP file attached is 100% malware. No organisation would ever send you information in this manner.

Alex
 
Had a text yesterday from TAX REBATE telling me I was owed £265.48 for 2015 and to tap in http://bit.ly/2dCrOHU to process it. As I haven't had to pay any tax for 7 years, it seemed strange, so I fowarded it to HMRC on 60599 and got a reply saying it was a scam. I suppose my PAYG phone would have been charged a certain amount if I had carried out the request.
 
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If you go on to proper HMRC website you can forward the scam emails to them and they investigate each one
 
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