Tax payers in Ireland are being targeted by a British email scam the Irish Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) warned yesterday.
The bogus emails, claiming to be from HM Revenue & Customs, advise recipients to claim tax-refunds worth £200 to £500.
To receive the refund recipients are asked to complete an online form asking for their bank and credit card information.
The ACCA’s Advisory Services Manager, Aidan Clifford warns, “The web pages are very convincing and professional looking. Expect any credit card or banks account details supplied to be cleaned out within hours of responding .”
Clifford advises this is a highly sophisticated scam with taxpayers who have recently returned to Ireland from the UK, including Ulster, being most at risk.
The ACCA are uncertain of how many people have been targeted, but are concerned that such attacks are becoming more common as the Irish self-assessment tax deadline approaches on October 31st.
The ACCA and Financial Regulator advise consumers not to give out personal details by email and to forward suspect emails to their banks.
