In the latest reported phishing scam, it appears that Students at various Universities including Aberdeen, Cambridge & Queen’s Belfast are being sent fake HMRC messages re supposed Tax Refunds. They are using Academic e-mail addresses (ending .ac.uk) in an attempt to make them appear more credible and in common with these types of e-mail scam if the unsuspecting recipient clicks on the links and enters their details they can have their bank accounts emptied or their personal details used for identity theft. One would hope that people at University would be able to spot these, however, it is likely that some may fall victim and it is not clear if the new banking regulations will protect them.
Most of these phishing e-mails are easy to spot often containing poor grammar and language but in any event, Financial Institutions and Government bodies will not send out unencrypted e-mails asking for personal information and if you ever receive any then either delete them or better still if they are purporting to be from HMRC send them to the HMRC phishing team at phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
If you have lost money then contact Action Fraud, however, the chances of recovering it are slim so please be vigilant.
