Small businesses around Winchester are being asked to remain vigilant following reports of a sophisticated HMRC scam letter.
The persuasive fraudulent correspondence seeks confirmation of financial data, potentially setting the stage for identity theft.
The warning was raised earlier this year by Sajid Ghufoor, who heads the tax investigations and dispute resolution service at Azets, an accountancy and advisory firm.
Sajid, with his extensive 27-year experience as a senior investigator for HMRC, spotted the scam when a worried client presented the deceptive 'compliance' letter.
This particular fraudulent document is eerily lifelike, mirroring the technical language and font associated with genuine HMRC correspondence. Sajid stated that the scam was probably the most effective one he had encountered to date.
He recommended that finance managers double-check the email address on any HMRC correspondence, pointing out that legitimate emails will end in "hmrc.gov.uk". The scam letter in this case was allegedly sent from "companies-review@hmrc-taxchecks.org".
In response, Azets, which operates out of five locations in Hampshire including Southampton, Portsmouth, and Romsey, is encouraging small business owners and their teams to maintain a heightened level of caution.
The persuasive scam letters could surface in either email or conventional mail form.
With small business employees balancing multiple roles, this practical advice is a reminder that they must remain watchful even in areas not directly related to their core duties.
As Sajid warns, these legitimate-looking misleading letters may pose a direct threat to the security of businesses around Winchester.
Mr Ghufoor said: "This is probably the best scam letter I have seen up until now. They have sought to use an HMRC team and use the right technical legislation and language – previously others have used non-UK tax legislation.
"The highly realistic letter is headlined ‘we need to verify your financial information’ and asks for business bank statements from the past 13 months, most recent full version of filed accounts, business VAT returns for the last four quarters and photos of directors, from passports or driving licences.
"If you provide the fraudsters with these details, there is a strong chance of identity theft taking place of both the company and directors in order to clear out bank accounts and open up the opportunity for VAT fraud."
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