BlackRat Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Twice over the last week I have been sent an online pukka looking tax return form. Now being a highly sus plod, I did notice that if you don't put any addy in and go for next you get a pop up telling you to fill you details out, with a. Bit on it: Http:[Admin-link removed].ru Strikes me as highly sus scam from possibly Russia? Anyone any ideas...............? Ta. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Looks very sus to me also. Don't trust it as far as you can, erm, click it... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Twice over the last week I have been sent an online pukka looking tax return form. Now being a highly sus plod, I did notice that if you don't put any addy in and go for next you get a pop up telling you to fill you details out, with a. Bit on it: Http:/*****.ru Strikes me as highly sus scam from possibly Russia? Anyone any ideas...............? Ta. Definitely dodgy; one for HMR&C's fraud people, and your local 'force. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danemouth Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Most definitely a scam! I do my self assessment returns on line and you need to register to do so. They even send the reminder by post each April. Every year you see these - don't be surprised if you receive the American version - the IRS Dave p.s. Don't click on the link as you may find yourself with a shedload of viruses and will also confirm to the scammers that the email address is live. I suggest the link be removed from the post! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold SHMD Posted July 10, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10, 2013 I've had an online "My tax return ©2013" something or other. All very official looking. (Email that is.) I binned it straight away without clicking anything. After all, that's what I do with the real ones! Kev. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Thanks all. Wasn't ever going to reply but wanted to double chck. Already forwarded the email to HMRC for their follow up. Can't trust the web can you!!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Dienstleiter Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 HMRC don't use email except to accept reports of fraudulent posts, forward all such to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Sorry but I'm out of touch with things to do with the UK: What is HMRC? It must be Her Majesty's something... When I first moved to North Carolina I rented (or EMI did) an apartment attached to a rather large family home (like Fonzi). My mail went to their mailbox. After receiving several large buff envelopes with "On Her Majesty's Service" emblazoned in large letters I had a great deal of respect from the folks there, I didn't tell them it was the Inland Revenue.... The local Sheriff lived next door, nice guy, he said I was the only Englishman in their county. Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 HMRC = Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs aka the tax man or any number of other names, some of which are printable. Never had any trouble with them myself, and they keep surprising me by refunding bits of overpaid tax before I ask them. And yes, lots of fairly obvious email scams around aiming to phish your details - I've had a few in recent weeks. I don't think a .ru domain on the link is likely to be HMRC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lurker Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 HMRC is the result of a merger between the Inland Revenue and Customs & Excise = H M Revenue & Custom. it deals with (amongst other things) income and corporation taxes, inheritance tax, capital gains tax, stamp duties (all Inland Revenue) and VAT and import and excise duties (ex HMCE). in theory the mergers provides for a more joined up approach to taxpayers' affairs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poggy1165 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I had something like this purporting to be from HMRC. To me it was an obvious scam and it got deleted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted July 10, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 10, 2013 HMRC don't use email except to accept reports of fraudulent posts, forward all such to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk. HMRC DO use email, payment acknowledgement is sent by email but will always show as being sent by "Administrator". I get dodgy emails that claim to be Tax Refunds with a box to click to go to my account, these always show as coming from hm.com rather than hmrc.gov Andi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 ....I don't think a .ru domain on the link is likely to be HMRC. ".ru" is short for "ruse".... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Me too - 2 in the last week. Why they haven't gone directly to spam folder I don't know. They've gone in the e-bin now, without being opened. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fender Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I ignore and delete all unsolicited emails from 'people', 'government', or 'businesses' I don't already have a relationship with, and treat all others with caution. there's pretty much no reason to open an unsolicited email without being about to verify it first. you can always call or email a person, or check the website/your account for a business, to confirm that the email is valid. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Fisher Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Loads of information here:-http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/security/examples.htm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium mezzoman253 Posted July 10, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 10, 2013 Forward them to HMRC <phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk> they take them very seriously indeed. Then delete. Rob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium TheQ Posted July 10, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 10, 2013 Just received my first HRMC scam today, straight to the bin, but funnily yesterday I had to circulate my email to about 20 people that I normally communicate face to face with, I guess 1 of them has an insecure pc... The Q Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium BR60103 Posted July 11, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 11, 2013 Then what is the domain of the Historical Model Railway Club? Someone keeps trying to give me a tax refund from the English government. The only tax I've paid them was VAT and PT. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbishop Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I'm continuously being contacted by "Yahoo! Customer Care". Looks pukka, grammar adequate, but doesn't smell right. Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lurker Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 [Admin - original post removed] Some days I feel I would rather give my money to the scammers than to George Osborne. In what way is HMRC "thoroughly dishonest and extortionist"? In my experience they generally operate with the parameters of the laws as passed by parliament. The only exception I can think of immediately is of customs officials who continued to sieze and crush cars coming back from France on booze cruises even though told not to by the courts. And I think that this was some 10 years ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted July 11, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 11, 2013 I had an e-mail this morning telling me that my Paypal credit card was about to expire. I neither want nor have a Paypal credit card so in the bin it went. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Brit70053 Posted July 11, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 11, 2013 Had the HMRC one last week , deleted straight away. Also had 2 notifications of attempted illegal activity on 'my account' with a bank I've never had any dealings with. Also deleted immediately John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted July 11, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 11, 2013 In what way is HMRC "thoroughly dishonest and extortionist"? In my experience they generally operate with the parameters of the laws as passed by parliament. The only exception I can think of immediately is of customs officials who continued to sieze and crush cars coming back from France on booze cruises even though told not to by the courts. And I think that this was some 10 years ago. For starters, they send you letters saying that you have not responded to previous correspondence when they have not sent any previous correspondence. They will send you assessments that they know to be wrong (too high) to "encourage" you to make contact. They will threaten small businesses with expensive inspections - so that it can be cheaper for the business to pay tax that is not owed than to dispute it. Meanwhile, their firends in big businesses get away with paying little or nothing. Am I angry about all that? You bet I am. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lurker Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 if you start from the premise that the UK tax rules work under the principal of self assessment, then the onus is on the taxpayer to self assess a liability to tax. This starts with registration of a new business and includes making regular returns,and tax payments on time. Don't follow that simple rule and the level of contact increases. If you think about the logic of encouraging a business to make contact; if you have not fulfilled your obligation to make contact anyway, then you might be tempted to pay a too low assessment to make them go away. Threats of inspection aren't just restricted to small businesses either. Inspections are based on the perceived risk level of a business. Refusing to engage with HMRC by answering correspondence only increases the perceived risk of tax loss, and increases the likelihood of inspection. And as for "friends in big business", don't believe too much of what you hear the PAC saying, or read in the press. A lot of that is deliberate misreading or misinformation: all the fuss about paying no tax on oodles of sales revenue is deliberate misunderstanding of the fact that in the UK you pay corporation tax on taxable profits not sales. All the fuss that the big 4 accountancy firms have far more transfer pricing experts than HMRC doesn't mean that international groups are all out there manipulating their tax base - tranasfer pricing rules place a significant compliance burden on multinational big businesses requiring them to document that their intra-group transactions are within the range of often hypothetical comparable transactions between parties at arm's length. The documentation has to satisfy the tax authorities in each of the tax jurisdictions. Yes there will be people who push it too far, but many (I would say most) don't. I short I think your assertion that HMRC is thoroughly dishonest and extortionist is misplaced. You may not like them - and let's face it, who wants to pay tax on their hard earned income - and the UK tax rules may not be to everyone's tastes, but that doesn't make HMRC dishonest or extortionist. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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