Tax return scam targets people in Brighton and Hove

Trading standards officers are warning people in Brighton and Hove about a tax return scam.

Conmen have been sending emails designed to look as though they have come from the Revenue and Customs.

The emails claim that there has been an error in the recipients’ calculation of their tax.

The email address is returns@hmr.com but all Revenue and Customs email addresses end in gov.uk.

Brighton and Hove City Council trading standards officers said: “It’s thought that the scam is being distributed to tie in with the end of the tax year as people are filling in their tax returns.

“The email asks the recipient to create a ‘tax gateway account’ to get funds credited back into their bank account.

“To do this the recipient would have to hand over details of their bank account.”

Trading standards manager Jo Player said: “The email address is clearly bogus and we urge people not to hand over their personal financial information.

“HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) would advise customers of an under or overpayment in writing.

“The bogus email also contains a hyperlink to click on which takes people to a website that looks like the HMRC site but that too is false and designed purely and simply to obtain bank details.”