HMRC has warned of a "prolific" new scam which has resulted in vulnerable and elderly people losing thousands of pounds.
The tax man has written to the chief executives of major UK retailers urging them to share details of the iTunes phone scam with their staff so they can act as a line of defence.
The scammers prey on victims by cold calling them and impersonating HMRC members of staff. They tell them that they owe large amounts of tax which they can only pay off through Apple’s iTunes vouchers.
Victims are told to go to a local shop, buy these vouchers, and then read out the redemption code to the scammer.
The conmen then sell on the codes or purchase high-value products, all at the victim’s expense.
Figures from Action Fraud show that there have been more than 1,500 reports of this scam since 2016.
Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s director general of customer service, said: "It’s really reassuring to see reports of supermarket staff, off their own back, taking action to keep customers safe. Raising public awareness is the best safeguard against this vicious scam.
"Supermarket staff are often the last line of defence against these fraudsters. That’s why I’ve written to the chief executives of major UK retailers to urge them to make their staff aware of this scam so they can help protect unsuspecting customers."
The vast majority of the victims are aged over 65 and suffered an average financial loss of £1,150 each.
Despite campaigns by HMRC and law enforcement agencies, people are still falling victim to the scam, with the highest ever loss being reported last week of an 81-year-old man losing £20,000 after being repeatedly targeted.
Source FT https://www.ftadviser.com/your-industry/2018/02/12/hmrc-warns-of-itunes-voucher-scam/
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And on BBC,Angela MacDonald said that the HMRC do ring the public...when questioned how the public knew if the phonecall was a scam or not,she virtually told the public to slam down the phone and then ring the HMRC back themselves..sweet Jesus....another brilliant service from the HMRC !!!
ReplyDeleteWith people like Angela MacDonald in charge, no wonder HMRC are in disarray...what an absolute genius 'slam the phone down & ring HMRC back'. No need to that - if it's important HMRC will write to you.
ReplyDeleteOnly ever pay money to HMRC using the bank details which can be found on their .gov website.
If anyone ever asks you to pay an alleged tax bill with any method of payment other than HMRC's banking details, tell the scammer to foxtrot oscar and terminate the call.
Perhaps if HMRC spent less time bullying their staff, and less time covering up criminal wrongdoing by management etc, they'd have a little more time to devise a more sophisticated system to protect taxpayers...don't hold your breath though...
Jon.Thompson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
ReplyDeleteTell him how you feel.