HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has issued a warning to business owners to ignore a fraudulent letter pretending to be from the tax authority and demanding confidential business and financial information.
The letter bears a fake HMRC letterhead and logo and is addressed from the ‘Indv and Small Business Compliance’ team. It states that, in response to a recent government initiative, the recipient of the letter should send certain documents to HMRC by email. The documents include the business’ bank statements for the last 13 months, accounts and VAT return, and a digital copy of the passport or driving license for each director.
While the letters look realistic, there are some signs that show they are fake, including a suspicious email address: companies-review@hmrc-taxchecks.org. All HMRC email addresses end with @hmrc.gov.uk.
It is worth noting that HMRC rarely requests sensitive information via email. Their preferred method of communication is by official letter or through the secure online portal.
If you or anyone in your business receives a letter like this, do not respond. Don’t hesitate to report the scam to HMRC through their official website and protect your business from identity theft and financial loss.
