Phishing not Fishing... Four years ago, fishing, was the biggest participation sport in the UK and although its popularity has declined, take a look at Fenlands waterways, lakes, ponds and river banks, it’s still very popular here. Writes Scott Bishop. ‘Gone fishin’ was and still is a much-used answer to queries starting with ‘where’s XXXX?’ It was also the title of a late a 90’s light-hearted film about bumbling friends who won an angling trip that went comically wrong. Today, change ‘fishing’ to ‘phishing’ and there are few laughs. The Self-Assessment tax return deadline expired just a month ago. In the weeks before HM Revenue & Customs warned that ‘phishing’ fraudsters were flourishing. It quoted nearly 900,000 reports of suspicious phone calls, texts or e-mails from scammers pretending to be the tax authority. It was an historical figure so the updated figure will be interesting. Most of these were fake tax refunds instructing the victim to visit a bogus website and enter bank details. In other cases, people were told they had outstanding tax liabilities which, if not paid immediately, had serious consequences – bailiffs and imprisonment! Those liabilities were fictitious. HMRC’s advice is to savvy up to avoid becoming a victim. Genuine phone calls and messages will never ask for your PIN, passwords or bank details. If you are not expecting a text or e-mail do not reply, click on any links or download any attachments. There are numerous examples beyond fake tax refunds. My current favourites – a domestic appliance insurer halving my monthly payment as I’m a loyal client; a demand for money to extend my TV ‘license’! We have a few anglers in our offices. Although they know about rods and reels, floats and spinners, they are seriously good at spotting ‘phishermen’. If you are among our clients, then please feel free to ask your usual Ramsey office contact about any HMRC messages or phone calls about which you are unsure. If you’re a newcomer, your first consultation is free – and that’s not ‘phishing’.
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