Banks, building societies, lottery companies and even social networking sites have all been targets of Internet scammers.
Now it’s the turn of HM Revenue and Customs and trading standards officers in Swansea are warning residents to be on their guard about unsolicited emails claiming to be from the Government.
Sophisticated scammers using seemingly bona fide logos and livery are targeting people and claiming they are entitled to a tax refund from HM Revenue and Customs.
IAnd in order to receive the money they ask for bank details, names, addresses and even PIN numbers.
Dave Picken, Trading Standards Officer for Swansea, said: “This email looks very convincing. In the past scammers have tried similar tactics to encourage people to part with their banking details.
“But, unusually, the links from the email to services provided by HMRC appear to the unwary to work as well.
“So far we’re not aware of anyone who has been caught out by this scam but our message to people is that HMRC would never ask for someone’s banking details and their PIN number.”
Mr Picken added: “The best advice is – as all banks and building societies say – never share your PIN number with anyone and be extremely suspicious of anyone who asks for it. If you give away your PIN, you’re at great risk of losing the entire contents of your bank account.”
Concerned consumers can report suspected bogus e-mails and scams to the national consumer helpline service at Consumer Direct on 0845 04 05 06 (English) or 0845 04 05 05 (Welsh).
