The scammers are using seemingly legitimate university email addresses, for example ‘@uc.ac.uk’, in order to avoid detection. HMRC has 
received thousands of fraud reports in just a few weeks from students at universities and colleges across the UK.
This is the first time HMRC has seen a tax scam attack directly targeting students in such high volumes.
HMRC is adamant that it doesn’t contact taxpayers about tax refunds by email, text or voicemail, in part to avoid the potential for fraud. Students are being warned that if they receive such a message it is a scam. They are advised not to click on any links in the message, and they should forward them to HMRC’s phishing email address.
Devious fraudsters will try to convince victims to hand over their personal information, often with devastating consequences. It is vital that students spot the signs of fraudulent emails to avoid falling victim by following HMRC’s advice.
HMRC is encouraging all universities to raise awareness of scams and many have already begun taking action to warn their students of the risks.
Often HMRC related email scams spoof the branding of GOV.UK and well known credit cards in attempt to look authentic. The recipient’s name and email address may be included several times within the email itself.
Fraudulent emails and texts will regularly include links which take students to websites where their information can be stolen. Between April and September this year, HMRC requested that 7,500 of these phishing sites be deactivated. This compares to around 5,200 requests during the same period in 2017.
Suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC should be forwarded to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk and texts to 60599. If financial loss is suffered, contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use its online fraud reporting tool check GOV.UK for information on how to avoid and report scams and recognise genuine HMRC contact.
