HMRC has warned people of a new ‘sophisticated’ scam that hijacks people’s accounts.
Criminals are trying to obtain customers’ Government Gateway logins and other personal details, enabling them to register for Income Tax Self Assessment and submit bogus tax refund claims before pocketing the repayment in the tax scam.
By targeting teenagers and pensioners online, the fraudsters are trying to “borrow” people’s identities, BirminghamLive says.
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Her Majesty Revenue and Customs has urged people not to share their details online as fraudsters are targeting people to use them for tax fraud.
The person targeted in the scam is offered a cut of the “risk-free” deal. People who are being asked for their customers may be asked details of their bank account, passport, driving licence, address, date of birth, and National Insurance number.
Simon Cubitt, head of cybercrime at HMRC said: “People need to think extremely carefully before they involve themselves in an arrangement like this, because if something looks too good to be true, then it almost certainly is.
“Those who get involved risk becoming the victim of blackmail, threats of violence and wider abuse of their personal information, as criminals seek to exploit them further.
“I urge anyone who may be aware of these dishonest attempts to recruit individuals into criminality, to report it us by searching ‘Report Fraud HMRC’ on GOV.UK and completing our online form.”
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