Personal tax filing at risk of fraud
Emails claiming to be from the taxman could be the work of fraudsters
Emails claiming to be from the taxman could be the work of fraudsters
ACCA’s head of global taxation has said online filings of personal tax are at
great risk of being corrupted by fraud and has advised users to be vigilant.
Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of global taxation at ACCA, said: ‘It is good to see
HMRC being so proactive about this issue and flagging it up.
‘Like all online transactions that involve personal and financial details,
people need to exercise caution and make sure they don’t open themselves up to
fraud.’
HM Revenue & Customs, which has mandated that all personal tax filings
should be done online in the future, said that online fraud is a ‘real risk’
which exploits weaknesses in software and email accounts.
ACCA has issued a checklist guideline for agents who file returns which
include not responding to emails from the taxman if there is any hint it may not
be from them.
The institute has said that it is very rare HMRC will get in touch via email
and to contact individuals for personal financial information.
HMRC processed approximately 4.1m income tax self-assessment forms between
January and March last year.
Further reading:
Tax code errors as enquiries skyrocket