A report in the Sunday Times has suggested that HMRC has identified 17,000 attempts to claim almost £100m in bogus tax repayments.
In such instances, criminals used the log-in details and password after an individual filed their online tax return to alter the details and request a repayment to an account under their control.
However, fear not, HMRC are 100% certain that their servers have not been hacked!
As per CCH Daily an HMRC spokesperson said:
"Our online services have not been hacked and remain secure.HMRC are of the view that any online tax frauds are down to taxpayer failures.
We take our obligations around protecting customer data extremely seriously and have systems in place to review suspicious activity and monitor access to accounts."
All very well and good, but organisations and their staff do get hacked eg; Sony, TalkTalk, the Director of the CIA to name but a few that spring to my cold addled brain!
HMRC would do well not to be so complacent.
Tax does have to be taxing.
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eeenie, meeny, miney, mo?
ReplyDeleteDo we believe an HMRC spokesperson or the likes of the US Government and the many sites such as The Register, who are all well versed in hacking facts as opposed to opinion?
Is the cloud that far removed from 2 discs in the post, which is safer? Well at least if its lost in the post there is an outside chance of physically finding your data.
Clue is prtobably to be found in Government Gateway data insecurity.
DeleteDo we believe HMRC or Government on this matter certainly NOT!
DeleteHMRC are really ignoring the obvious, it is a given that corruption (Wiki - dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people (such as government officials or police officers) in its myriad forms, exists within an organisation such as HMRC. The breaking of many laws is widespread across this organisation and Organised Crime is fully aware of and utilises the weak points.
ReplyDeleteA quick read of the HMIC report into Internal Fraud Corruption will be enlightening, if you failed to peruse it the first time it was mentioned hereon, see;
http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/media/HMRCs-management-of-internal-fraud-and-corruption20120919.pdf
failing that, look up the National Crime Agency report;
NCA Intelligence
How organised criminals corrupt;
www.epac.at/downloads/info.../127-2014-national-crime-agency-full-repor...
Having wetted your whistle, so to speak, add the following into the HMRC mix;
Crap management (engagement indicies etc)
Demotivated staff
Poor standards
Misuse of RIPA legislation (Osita Mba et. al.)
Opportunity
Useless security
Infiltration
Coercion
IT insecurity proven track record)
Little or no Government oversight
Data avail;ability to those who seek it (d.o.b., address, name, bank account)
Image (media, staff, public, LE partners, Politicians and organised crime think that HMRC is a joke)
Hamstrung Investigators
Wrong priorities
Lean/Pacesetter
Attitude
There are more factors, but you get the picture, and the scenario was going on prior to HMRC creation, the loss exists across the whole of the system, to what extent, who knows?
Perhaps the firest thing HMRC spokespeople shuld do is a bit of research before talking out of their collective rears!