Tax fraudsters hack into firms' systems
Firm hacked by fraudsters in £1.8m tax scam
Fraudsters have hacked into an accountancy firms’ systems to find out client
details, using them to fraudulently claim back millions of pounds in tax from
HM Revenue
& Customs.
The fraudsters hacked into accountants’ computers then used the information
stored on their clients to make claims for overpaid tax.
The
Sun reports that one firm was believed to have been used to
claim £1.8m in tax.
HMRC said: ‘Our IT & on line systems remain safe and secure. Criminals
however constantly target computer users with viruses and phishing attacks and
have managed to get hold of a small number of users’ details and passwords and
made fraudulent claims for tax repayments. This includes represented taxpayers
details.
‘We are working closely with the people affected and the police to tackle the
threat of this kind of organised e-crime, and we urge all our customers to take
extra care with passwords and other forms of identification.
‘It is vital for both taxpayers and agents to take extra care to protect their
IT systems at all times.
‘There is no reason to believe that the users’ security details that have been
used fraudulently were obtained from HMRC.’
Further reading:
HMRC’s
current IT security guidance