Phishing Scams From Someone Claiming to be HMRC
We all get these and some look like they come from sensible addresses like alert@hmrc.gov.uk.
Here’s a typical content.
Date 21/05/2011
A tax refund of 1560.10 GBP .(Still Pending) Due to invalid account record we were unable to credit your account Please submit a verified tax refund request.A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons. For example submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline.
Click the “Refund Me Now” link below and follow the on screen step in order to have us process your request.Refund Me Now Note: For security reasons, we will record your ip-address, the date and time,Deliberate wrong inputs are criminally pursued and indicated.
Best Regards,
HM Revenue & Customs
They are all a scam designed to get your login asnd password to the HMRC web site.
They show all of the typical mistakes of scammers.
- Why would they say 2510 GBP, when the £2510.00 would probably be used?
- The English is a bit clunky. But then so is a lot of Civil Servant-speak!
- I especially like the last bit saying “Deliberate wrong inputs are criminally pursued and indicated.” What do they mean about indicated? Does a nice young lady all dressed like Lady Gaga in leather come round and give you a ticking off? Now that will be fun!
- And then there’s the Best Regards bit! Very HMRC! I don’t think!
So what should you do with these e-mails, other than comply with what they say?
The real HMRC have a page which says what to do.
Note this clear statement on the page.
HMRC will never send notifications of a tax rebate by email, or ask you to disclose personal or payment information by email.
You should never disclose your personal and/or payment information in reply to an email that may look like it’s from HMRC, you may well be revealing your details to a fraudulent website.
It also says you should forward them to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
I shall be sending a few today, so let’s see what happens.
The End of the World Is Nigh!
I thought it was some time since the usual American Christian nutter said this, but the latest one has just been announced.
The guy behind it all has the name of Harold Camping. So does that mean he’s a bit like John Inman ‘s character in Are You Being Served?
I suspect it’s just another plot by a religious nutter to relieve the stupid of their money.
Wikipedia says this on its entry for Harold Camping.
He has used Bible-based numerology to predict dates for the end of the world. His current end times prediction is that the Rapture will be on May 21, 2011 and that God will completely destroy the Earth and the universe five months later on October 21. He had previously predicted that the Rapture would occur in September 1994.
So he got it wrong once! Well we might think that, but how much money did he make the first time? Perhaps he made a lot, so it is now time to fleece another few thousand victims with this outrageous fraud.
A Proven Scam: Engineering and Consultancy Services
I few days ago I had an e-mail purporting to come from a Bryan Green at this company.
Hello,
It’s Bryan Green, ENGINEERING & CONSULTANCY SERVICES, HR manager.
We found your e-mail in the base of applicants for a job. If you are not in search of a job and not interested in extra earnings, ignore this letter please and I’m sorry for mistake. If you need a job, you have a good chance to work in our company.
We are searching for:
– Financial Department Associate.
ENGINEERING & CONSULTANCY SERVICES (U.K.) LIMITED is connected to many technology purchases and sales, global distribution, manufacturing and consulting. We are concentrated on buying and selling technology in Europe and United States. We offer generous salary for our part-time employees and also some discounts and benefits.
Get in touch with us and join our company. E-mail : hr@engineering-and-consultancy.co.uk
Yours respectfully,
Bryan Green,
HR manager
It had all the hallmarks of a scam, especially as I haven’t applied for any jobs lately.
I have now found out that it is a proven scam, with at least one person having had money stolen from their credit card. The UK Police have been informed.
For that reason the original post has been protected with a password. This is so the police can have access to the original post.
Patek Trading Company
I haven’t seen one of these for some time.
Greetings, If you have access to a computer, and have up to three hours spare time per- week, would you like to work part or full time online from home and get paid weekly? If yes, then please read carefully. _____________________________________________________________________ ABOUT US ______________________________________________________________________ Patek Trading Company Limited was founded in 1986. Besides its main office and laboratory, the Company also owns large warehouse to serve its customers with on time delivery. Since its establishment, the Company has been focusing on trading of textile dyestuffs, pigments and auxiliaries imported from all over the world and Products include reactive dyes, acid dyes, direct dyes, cationic dyes, disperse dyes, vat dyes, leather dyes, pigments and auxiliaries of textile dyeing, printing & finishing etc… ______________________________________________________________________ JOB POSITION _______________________________________________________________________ We are currently seeking part/full time employees for our ever-growing Foreign Payment Receiving Officer. Through extensive demographic research, we have discovered a wealth of untapped human resources that, for one reason or another, need the freedom to work from home and consider becoming part of our company. as part of our ongoing Multi Level Marketing Network, we seek capable individuals to work for us as our representative.You can easily make £500 – £2,000 or more in a week by working for us as Sub-contractor in your geographical location, you will be in charge of collecting payment on behalf of our affiliates and Smallbusiness organizations that are registered under us. Note that no form of investment is needed from you and this job will take only 1-3 hours of your time per week. ______________________________________________________________________ JOB RESPONSIBILITY _______________________________________________________________________ The position of Foreign Payment Receiving Officer entails the following duties: coordinate payments from our clients, receive payments which come in form of Bank Wire Tansfer, process payments at your local bank, and forward 90% of funds received to the proper branch office, as instructed. The remaining 10% is your gratuity. Since this position is need-based, you will have plenty of free time while enjoying a good income. _______________________________________________________________________ RENUMERATION _______________________________________________________________________ Every assignment in form of payment received from clients, you’re entitled to 10% which excludes the cost of processing western union to any regional office accountant Also you get a monthly salary of £1500 which comes at the end of every month, plus other incentives and benefits that accrue, which includes tax holidays. ________________________________________________________________________ INTERESTED APPLICANTS (HOW TO APPLY) ________________________________________________________________________ Interested applicants should reply with: First Name:- Last Name:- Address:- Gender:- Phone Number(s):- E-mail Address:- Our Human Resource Managers can contact you via email, with further details if the management decides you’re a successful candidate. We look forward to working with you. NB: Ignore this mail if you are not interested in this offer. Sincerely, Mr. Sue Young President/CEO Patek Trading Company Limited. Hong Kong, China. .
But just like all of the others, it’s a scam and will do you no good if you sign up.
I do like the opening statement about if you have access to a computer. Would you have received this rubbish, if you didn’t have access?
It also appears to be from a boy named Sue!
The Advantage of Being a Widow
Let’s face it, there aren’t many advantages in losing your long-term partner, but there is one.
You often immediately know that a phone call is a scam or just downright fraud.
I just had a call from a number 0845-1113111, which because of its form I thought was one of those rediculous automated text messages. Annoying those may be, but at least they are genuine. If you need to know more about the number that called me, look here.
I knew when the caller started that it was an unwanted call, as the idiot on the line asked for Mr. or Mrs. xxxx. As my wife died over three years ago now, it wasn’t the smartest thing for him to do. I told him politely that she’d died and the number was registered with the Telephone Preference Service. But he kept going on about government grants and in the end I told him to Foxtrot Oscar and left him talking to the radio.
Anybody who asks for my late wife is always considered by me to be a scammer unless they prove themselves otherwise. Some do, as they are solicitors or other genuine callers trying to reach her, who haven’t heard that she in fact has passed on.
The Fake Euro Taxi Scam
Someone tried this on me last night.
A guy rang my bell about 10 last night. When he rang a second time, I opened the wiondow from upstairs and shouted down to him.
He said he’d just returned from France and had come to see my neighbour, who incidentally I’ve only met once and can’t remember his name. I’ve only met him the one time as he’s rarely there. My visitor said he’d only got euros for the taxi and could I change some. As there has been e-mails going round about people doing this and then leaving you with a batch of fake euros, I told him to go and try someone else. He seemed a well-turned out white guy of about twenty, and didn’t have fraudster tattooed across his forehead. But then if you want to con someone, the first thing you do is make it look feasible.
I did report the incident to the local police. It was a pity I didn’t photograph him though!
The joke was that if he had been genuine, I wouldn’t have been able to change his euros, as I only had a fiver in the house.
The Land Bank Scam
I first came across these land investment scams about three years ago, when my late son built a web site for a company that was selling small strips of land with the promise of future planning permission. They were targeting mainly Asian families and were pulling in a lot of punters.
I told him to stay clear of this type of company and on telling a respected estate agent, he said it was a big problem and no-one seemed to be doing anything about it.
So why has it taken so long to reach the headlines? I suppose NuLabor had other priorities, like clinging to power.
Even now, type “land banking” into Google and there are quite a few sites out there trying to sell you bits of worthless land. But now, there are also lots of warnings from respected financial commentators like the Guardian and agencies like the FSA. Read the latter items and ignore the sales pitches.
Needless to say, but my son was never paid for his work.
He Must Be Joking
I just received this e-mail from some idiot called Nepon Smith. With a name like that his parents must have been very stupid and they’ve obviously passed him a set of extremely crap genes.
Hello ,
Am interested in a champagne called Louis Reoderer Cristal Champagne
2002 vintage for an event this month i know the champagnes are expensive also let me know if i can have them in Gift boxes but i will like to know if you can source them for i we be happy if i could have them on hand be the Date of the event Let me know how soon you can get them I’ll get back to you with my Credit Card number as soon as i get the total cost for the cases and i will arrange for the pick up at your location as soon as payment is clear by my carrier to the location of the event below is the bottles needed i will like you to get back to me with the total cost for the bottles.
Champagne Name
Louis Reoderer Cristal Champagne 2002 vintage ……….24 bottles
Waiting for you quick respond.
This has scam written all over it, so I used my favourite Delete key.
I was tempted to e-mail him back, with a suitable address in Kabul.
A Real Corker
I just had to put this spam e-mail up, as anybody who believes it, should be automatically certified.
UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN
THE PARLIAMENT COUNCIL
SUB-COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN DEBTS PAYMENT
ENGLAND- BRITAIN
OFFICIAL GAZETTE 23/11/10
NO. 33 GOVERNMENT NOTICE NO. 37 VOL. 2010
PARLIAMENT COMMENT!
ATTN: FUNDS BENEFICIARY (ON COMPENSATION/INTEREST CALCULATION) AMOUNT:
? 1,850,000.00 GBP
With reference to the petition filed by the Payment Review Commission (PRC) to the Parliament Sub-Committee on Foreign Debts Payment requesting the immediate payment of foreign/local beneficiaries within forty-eight hours (48hrs.) as interest/compensation of this last quarter payment schedule. We are sorry over the time you have been looking to receive your payment and the huge disappointment s most of you have encountered.
The British Counsel has therefore given instructions to the Director of Economist, Transfer & Relations, Debt Management Office (DMO); Tel: +44 208 8199432; Email: dmo@europe.com with immediate effect.
Congratulations!
??????????
DR. JONATHAN ELLIS MEMBERS
CHAIRMAN, (SBERR)
MR DAHOMEL CEBALOS
(Parliament Committee)
BRAIN LUCAS
(Member, Parliament House)
There are a lot of things I find funny in this but nothing more so, than the dyslexic Brian.
The Anonymous Widower 