UK Taxpayers Overwhelmed with Phishing Scams

guest · Jun 10, 2019

UK Taxpayers Overwhelmed with Phishing Scams
June 10, 2019
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/uk-taxpayers-overwhelmed-with-1-1/

HMRC has received over 2.6m reports of phishing attempts over the past three financial years, according to a new Freedom of Information (FOI) request from a think tank.

The tax office processed a total of 2,602,528 reports of phishing emails and texts as well as phone scams from 2016-19, according to Parliament Street. Although the worst year was 2016-17 (921,900), 2018-19 saw an increase of 15% over the previous year to reach 897,649.

The largest number were fraudulent emails spoofing tax rebate messages, which accounted for 1,957,003 reports over the three years. The worst year for these was 2016-17, accounting for 733,980.

“These incidents are just a snapshot of techniques used by hackers to gain confidential financial information as well as credentials and passwords. In many cases we’re seeing fraudsters gaining access to company data, using legitimate user ID and log-in details, without raising suspicion,” he argued.
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mirimir · Jun 10, 2019

There's a simple rule of thumb. The IRS never sends email.

guest · Jun 28, 2019

Why do hackers love HMRC?
June 28, 2019
https://www.accountancyage.com/2019/06/28/why-hackers-love-hmrc/

Unfortunately, fake email messages from HMRC are among the most replicated and successful phishing scams circulated in the UK today.
Cybercriminals are quick to take advantage of the trust people have in HMRC by seeking to exploit a wide-ranging fear of the tax man and delight, for example, at receiving a rebate out of the blue. For accounting firms, it’s vital to stay alert, since social engineering campaigns are now more targeted and sophisticated than ever.

The HMRC fear factor – Do not underestimate the sense of apprehension most people experience when opening an HMRC letter or email.
If only everyone knew that HMRC rarely sends important information via email or SMS, and never for tax refunds, almost all HMRC phishing scams would fail.

Easy to copy – When it comes to faking HMRC communications, the government has made criminals lives’ much easier by publicly disclosing its complete style guide online. It has even published a blog detailing use of fonts, meaning hackers don’t need to do much sleuthing to spoof HMRC emails and websites.
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guest · Jan 3, 2020

HMRC update guidance on genuine HMRC contact and recognising phishing emails and texts
January 3, 2020
https://www.accountancydaily.co/cch...uine_hmrc_contact_recognising_phishing_emails

HMRC have updated guidance on recognising genuine HMRC contact with information on SMS text messages for the High Income Child Benefit Charge – exit survey.
View the updated guidance at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/genuine-hmrc-contact-and-recognising-phishing-emails.
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HMRC: Genuine HMRC contact and recognising phishing emails and texts

Details
Phishing is the fraudulent act of emailing a person to get their personal or financial information.
These emails often include a link to a bogus website encouraging you to enter your personal details.

This guidance explains how to recognise genuine contact from HMRC, and how to tell when an email or text message is phishing or bogus.
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guest · Nov 8, 2020

HMRC smishing tax scam targets UK banking customers
November 8, 2020
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hmrc-smishing-tax-scam-targets-uk-banking-customers/

An advanced HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) tax rebate scam is targeting UK residents this week via text messages (SMS).

The smishing campaign is concerning as it employs multiple HMRC phishing domains and tactics, with new domains added every day as older ones get flagged by spam filters.
Starts with a 'text rebate' SMS
As observed by BleepingComputer, the smishing scam starts with a text message informing the recipient that they are eligible for a tax rebate as they had paid "emergency tax" this year.

You would think a user would know better not to click on a .com domain for accessing government services. However, some UK government services are offered via ".com" domains to the public.
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These online banking lookalikes further collect user's banking credentials, memorable words, 2-factor codes, etc.
The extensive nature of this campaign and thoroughly built online banking workflows indicate this is a well-planned smishing project designed by skilled threat actors.
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UK Taxpayers Overwhelmed with Phishing Scams

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