Watch Out For The Increase In “Inland Revenue†Email Frauds
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have taken the very unusual step of warning the public about a massive increase in the number of frauds pertaining to be from HMRC. Currently there are at least 8 known fraudulent emails doing the rounds, using a selection of false claims to attempt to obtain vital personal information.
Email fraud has become ever more common due to the fact that it can be nearly impossible to trace where the emails are coming from, and more to the point, who is actually sending them. AOL users have been targeted for many years by the so called email “farmersâ€, many of whom enter the vast array of AOL administered chat rooms. The problem with AOL is the fact that your user name in a chat room will be the first part of your email address, with @AOL.COM added to the end. This is not to say that it is only AOL users who are being targeted, because many fraudsters have targeted other internet service providers as well.
It is worth remembering that HMRC would be most unlikely to email you unexpectedly, and they most certainly would never ask you for personal information over the internet. Many of these fraudulent emails really do look official and many many people have fallen victim. However, while many have found their bank accounts cleared, or become the victim of identity fraud in later months, some are still not actually reporting these crimes.
Until the authorities have a full picture of the situation, it is difficult to know what kind of man power to use to target the fraudsters. If you are ever the victim of internet fraud it is vital that you inform the authorities immediately, to give the investigators a chance to respond as soon as possible.
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