Between now and Christmas HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will be contacting millions of taxpayers regarding over and under payments of tax – see our news article of 7 September 2010 “HMRC issue letters saying tax has been underpaid.” However this notification will be in a letter.
Historically, and even more so since they lost a disc containing information about every Child Benefit claimant in the UK, HMRC have been reluctant to use e-mail to communicate with taxpayers due to security concerns. However due to the numbers of notifications being issued and the publicity surrounding the exercise criminal gangs have stepped up their activities in this area. Fake websites have been set up and fake e-mail addresses are being used to send out e-mails claiming to relate to these under or over payments of tax and asking for personal and bank information.
HMRC have confirmed that they will not use e-mail this way and we can advise in cases where you are unsure if the message is coming from a reliable source. Therefore if you receive such a fraudulent request you should either hit the delete key or forward the e-mail to HMRC at phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk for investigation.
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At Ritson Smith we try to make the audit process as painless as possible. Our staff are experienced in dealing with a wide variety of clients and systems and will tailor the testing to minimise the disruption to your working day.
Ritson Smith's tax specialists not only help you avoid tax penalties, but also draw up detailed plans to ensure you can gain the maximum legitimate benefits from all current sources of tax relief.
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