Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime, is warning people once again about scammers contacting victims claiming to be from HMRC, and tricking older and vulnerable people into paying bogus debts and taxes using iTunes gift cards
The agency says victims are being contacted in a variety of methods by fraudsters claiming to be from HMRC and are being told they owe an outstanding debt. In most cases they ask for payment in iTunes gift card voucher codes, as these can be easily redeemed and easily sold on.
The scammers do not need the physical card to redeem the value and instead get victims to read out the serial code on the back over the phone.
In one reported case an 87 year old man was phoned by fraudsters who claimed to be from HMRC stating there was an arrest warrant out in his name. They told him it would be cancelled if he bought £500 in iTunes gift cards at Tesco. The man bought the cards and gave them the serial numbers. But when they asked for a further £1,300 in vouchers, he became suspicious and hung up.
Cold calls using a spoofed number are one of the fraudsters’ methods, along with leaving voicemails suggesting there is a warrant out for the individual they have phoned. There are also instances of scammers sending text messages saying a case is being built against someone for an outstanding debt and they must pay immediately.
Action Fraud is seeking to publicise advice about how individuals can protect themselves from such scams. It says HMRC will never use texts to tell taxpayers about a tax rebate or penalty or ever ask for payment in this way, and warns that telephone numbers and text messages can easily be spoofed.
