Don’t fall victim to this email fraud

The Isle of Man Office of Fair Trading is warning email users of an attempt by fraudsters to steal their financial and identity details.

The emails purport to be from HM Revenue and Customs and advise that to obtain the refund which it is alleged is due recipients should submit their credit/debit card and other personal details on-line within 48 hours.

HM Revenue and Customs has set up a page on its website - http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/security/spoofs.htm - advising people what they should do if they receive one of these emails. It asks that if anyone receives a contact like this they should notify them using the link above.

As with all such scams, the simple advice is to delete the email. On no account should anyone provide personal or financial details unless they are completely satisfied that the request is legitimate.

If anyone has responded to one of these letters, they should as a matter of urgency inform their bankers. If anyone loses money as a result of responding to the letter they should contact their local police immediately.

Chairman of the Office of Fair Trading Bill Henderson MHK commenting on the increasing number of scams which come to the attention of the OFT said “Scams reach consumers by a variety of methods – post, telephone, email and even by text messages – and in a variety of forms. Someone is always looking to take advantage of the unwary. My advice to consumers is to stop, think and be sceptical. Check first – authentic official correspondence will contain contact details which you can check out before you do anything else. Check the telephone number in the Phone Book or with Directory Enquiries where possible and telephone the organisation concerned to ask whether the correspondence has come from them. Check the official website and see if there are any warnings about possible scams, as is the case with the HM Revenue and Customs website. Be absolutely sure before you sign up for anything and be especially sure before you give any financial or personal details away. If you are at all unsure do not respond. The OFT’s Consumer Advisers on 686500 can offer you further advice”.