“We have reviewed your tax return and our calculations of your last year’s accounts show a tax refund of XXXX is due.”

The email then asks for credit card details with which money is being taken from people and possibly passed onto criminal gangs. HMRC say that they have shut down over 99 websites linked to sending the emails, but are warning customers to be vigilant.

In a statement on their website, Director of Customer Contact Chris Hopson says;

“As a matter of policy, HMRC will only ever contact customers who are due a tax refund in writing by post. If anyone receives an email offering a tax rebate claiming to be from HMRC, we recommend they send it to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk before deleting it permanently.”

They have also issued further warnings and advise people to:

• Check the advice published at www.hmrc.gov.uk/security to see if the email you have received is listed;
• Forward suspicious emails to HMRC at phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk and then delete it from your computer/mail account;
• Do not click on websites, links contained in suspicious emails or open attachments; and
• Follow advice from www.getsafeonline.co.uk.

This follows a HMRC announcement that another record number of people filed their tax returns online; with 6.9m people this year beating the 6.5m set in 2010 and 5.8m in 2009.

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The most popular time for submissions was between 4pm and 5pm on Friday, 29 January, when some 39,512 returns were received by HMRC.  However those that have missed the deadline could face a £100 penalty.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Stephen Timms said that one of the advantages of filing your tax return online is that HM Revenue and Customs would process your return faster, so any money you are owed is repaid more quickly.

HMRC also repeated the call for everybody to be extra vigilant with emails that appear to be from HMRC saying you are entitled to a tax return. An e-mail phishing scam in which recipients are told they are due a tax refund and asked to fill in an online form with bank or credit card details is still in circulation and victims have their accounts emptied or card limits used.

HMRC said it would never send out e-mails on the subject, as those who were due a refund were informed by post.

HMRC have released a statement saying;

‘An email is in circulation entitled National Insurance Contributions, stating that a payment has not been made. The email contains a link to a fraudulent website that requests the disclosure of payment/personal details. The email is not from HMRC.

Do not visit the website contained within the email or disclose any personal or payment information.’

This new email adds to phising emails relating to a  Tax Rebate and Approval of funds that have been circulating for a number of months. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) would not inform customers of a tax rebate via email, or invite them to complete an online form to receive a rebate of tax.

Email addresses used to distribute the tax rebate emails include:

• tax-inform@hmrc-information.co.uk
• tax-individuals@hm-treasury.co.uk
• online@hmrc.online-advantage.co.uk
• office.tax@hmrc.taxreturn.co.uk
• customers@hmrc.gov.uk
• help.desk@hmrc.notify-online.co.uk
• online.notify@hmrc-customs.co.uk
• hmrchelpdesk@hrmchelpdesk.co.uu
• securemail@hmrc.gov.uk
• tax-refund@hmrcforms.co.uk
• hmrc@tax-revenue.uk
• refundsdept@hmrc.gov.uk
• hmrc@tax-revenue.uk
• refunds@hmrc.gov.uk
• taxcredits@hmrc.co.uk
• service@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
• officer.robinson@hmrc.co.uk

HMRC does not send out emails using these email addresses.

If you receive an email requesting such information, please forward it to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk and then delete it.