Online fraud is rife and last year alone saw 80,000 scam emails reported to HMRC .
HMRC does not email customers about tax refunds - they only ever contact customers who are genuinely due tax back in writing, by post.
As a reminder to help you stay safe online, HMRC recommends the following:
Check the advice published at www.hmrc.gov.uk/security/index.htm where they can see if the email received is listed Forward suspicious emails to HMRC at phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk and then delete it from your computer/mail account Do not click on websites or links contained in suspicious emails or open attachments Follow advice from www.getsafeonline.co.uk Anyone who has answered one of these emails should forward the email and disclosed details to security.custcon@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk . If you have reason to believe that you have been the victim of an email scam, report the matter to your bank/card issuer as soon as possible. If in doubt please check with HMRC at HMRC fraud attempts .
If you suspect customs or excise fraud or tax evasion you can let HMRC know online, anonymously.
HMRC’s April to June 2013 performance
2 September 2013
HMRC’s performance results show a strong start to the year on securing additional tax revenues, but customer service standards are below where they want them to be.
Read HMRC’s two page report showing the results of the compliance, operational and customer service measures used to assess their performance.
HMRC can now access businesses card payment information
5 September 2013
A new crackdown on tax evasion will make information on all credit and debit card payments to UK businesses available to HMRC for the first time.
Under new powers from 1 September, HMRC can now access information from the UK’s merchant acquirers – the companies that process card payment transactions – to find out the number and value of transactions completed by a specific trader. No personal data identifying the card owners or card numbers will be obtained, but this data will be used to ensure that traders have correctly accounted for all taxes due – levelling the playing field for all businesses.
Announced in the same week as it launches a tax evasion advertising campaign, HMRC estimates that this information could reduce fraud by over £50 million per annum.
The legislation allows HMRC to obtain data on card payments to all UK businesses for the previous four years. The first requests for the data will be sent to merchant acquirers this week and from next year this will be an annual request.
CIPP Policy News Journal
16/04/2014, Page 165 of 519
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker