We are currently residing in a period where many in society are feeling particularly vulnerable, whether this be due to the threat of potential ill health or financial insecurity. At points in time such as these criminals seek to take advantage by preying on the resultant fears and insecurities of individuals.
It is therefore important that you remain as vigilant as possible in spotting potential scams- especially given the seemingly apparent authenticity and realism a lot of these convey to unsuspecting targets. The clever and emotive nature of these campaigns can leave even the most scrupulous and diligent of individuals open to attack at the hands of scam-artists.
HMRC have recently published the following examples of what to look out for:
Email scams
Phishing emails which coerce individuals into disclosing personal details such as passwords or bank details have been received by some. These can often be under the guise of issuing a tax refund to ‘protect yourself against Covid-19’. It is important to scrutinise the legitimacy of emails as thoroughly as possible in order to spot fraudulent attempts.
These emails will often include spoof email addresses and disguise display names to convey legitimacy.