HMRC has issued a warning after the Revenue has become aware of a phishing scam related to the fourth Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant.
Thousands of people have received the email below telling them that they can make a claim for the latest instalment. There are several different variations of the communication, but the message is always very similar.
There are a number of clues that this is a phishing email:
- The SEISS is not a tax refund, it’s a grant
- There are a number of spelling and grammar mistakes
- HMRC will never ask you for your passport or driving licence when logging into their services
- HMRC doesn’t tell you they will be recording your IP address
If you receive an email like this, please do not reply or click on any links. Even if you don’t input any data, even just clicking on a link is enough for a phishing scam to attack your computer.
There have also been some coronavirus-related text scams going around regarding the lockdown support plan. Again, please do not reply to the message or click on any links.
You can report any suspicious HMRC emails, text messages and phone calls on the gov.uk website.
If you’re ever unsure about a communication you’ve received from HMRC, please contact them or PKB and we’ll be able to check if it’s genuine or not. It’s also a good idea to familiarise yourself with these examples of HMRC-related phishing emails, phone calls and texts so you know what to look out for.
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