HMRC Phishing e-mails are on the rise – what your business should look out for

The Government has rolled out a variety of proposals aimed at assisting small businesses. These initiatives have included the Self-employment Income Support Scheme, the Job Retention Scheme, and Small Business Rate Relief, amongst others.

For a more detailed breakdown, you can look at our dedicated blog, or get in touch with a local accountant.

However, this has proven to be an opportunity for fraudsters who are looking to take advantage of small businesses looking at utilising these proposals. HMRC have highlighted a number of scam e-mails which have been doing the rounds. For example, there is an e-mail circulating telling people they can take advantage of a tax refund by clicking on a link. There have also been scam SMS messages outlining “goodwill payments” with dubious links which have been sent around to small businesses and individuals alike. For further information regarding these scams, you can visit the Government website.

We would remind small business owners to remain diligent, and also treat cold e-mails or text messages with suspicion. And if in doubt, do not open them or click on the links, but find out whether they are genuine first.