Clean It Up

UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Gerry Styles on July 04, 2009, 12:40:40 am

Title: TAX SCAM - BEWARE
Post by: Gerry Styles on July 04, 2009, 12:40:40 am

My window cleaner showed me a copy of an e-mail he recieved on thursday claiming to be fron the Inland Revenue informing him that he was eligible for a £168.00 tax refund with a link on the e-mail to make his claim. Ther are links on the e-mail that lead to legit government web sites. As his accountant deal with all his accounts and tax affairs he forwarded the e-mail to him. He rang my window cleaner back within 3 minutes and told him not to reply to the e-mail as it is a SCAM. HMRC DO NOT CONTACT YOU BE E-MAIL.

BEWARE AND PROTECT YOUR HARD EARNED CASH FROM FRAUDSTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Title: Re: TAX SCAM - BEWARE
Post by: Doug Holloway on July 04, 2009, 08:30:36 am

Hi Guys

I had one the other day, the web address was the same as the HMRC site except it was .co.uk rather than the official .gov.uk.

Cheers

Doug

my one told me I had won 168K, as if the IR are likely to give me money ::)

Title: Re: TAX SCAM - BEWARE
Post by: M.Acorn on July 04, 2009, 09:16:07 am

I also had one  >:( deleted it

Title: Re: TAX SCAM - BEWARE
Post by: MAX Carpets on July 04, 2009, 06:38:35 pm

Same as

Title: Re: TAX SCAM - BEWARE
Post by: Paul Simpson on July 05, 2009, 03:21:10 pm

Had at least 2 of these, both reasonably low amounts that may make some believe they are genuine. Deleted both without even reading them fully through.

Title: Re: TAX SCAM - BEWARE
Post by: Griffus on July 05, 2009, 08:22:29 pm

Yep, we had one too.

Deleted as with all others of this kind.

I also advised HMRC via their website. Might be worth everyone doing the same to hopefully help prevent the more trusting / naive out there being had.

Title: Re: TAX SCAM - BEWARE
Post by: Doctor Carpet (Ret'd) on July 05, 2009, 11:28:23 pm

Really, this is no different to those emails that purport to be from your bank and which ask you to confirm your log-in details.

HAve any of you ever come across "Mailwasher"?

It's a fantastic free service which allows you to vet your emails as they sit on the server before you actually download them. Then you bounce your spam back as if your email doesn't exist. Over a short period of time it learns who your friends are so that even if you were to receive a million spam if there are only 2 new spammers amongst them it'll take you precisely 1 second to review and with no danger of letting trojan emails onto your computer.

As an added bonus it also tells you the domain name that actually sent you the email rather than a "name" that the spammer wants you to see. Brilliant!