Over recent weeks, a number of high value frauds have been carried out in the Edinburgh area, whereby elderly victims have been “cold called” by individuals (fraudsters) purporting to be from various banks.
The victims are told that there are issues with their investments and that they are on a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) “red flag” list, where security concerns have been raised against their funds.
The victims are then instructed by the fraudster to set up new bank accounts in their own name (“safe accounts”), amalgamate their funds and then transfer all funds onto these new accounts
. There are occasions when the fraudster will make attempts to download software onto the victims electronic devices and then control their future financial activities. The funds are thereafter transferred into cryptocurrency.
The public should remember these 4 key points:
Banks do not cold call customers with such instructions.
The public should fully safeguard their savings from criminals.
Do not act on instructions provided by unknown callers.
Do not give any personal information to callers which would enable them to access your finances.
If in any doubt about the legitimacy of callers, make direct contact with your bank branch, your bank customer services or your investment company.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is warning Self Assessment customers to be on their guard following the Self Assessment deadline after more than 570,000 scams were reported to HMRC in the last year.
At this time of year, Self Assessment customers are at increased risk of falling victim to scams, even if they don’t mention Self Assessment. They can be taken in by scam texts, emails or calls either offering a ‘refund’ or demanding unpaid tax, thinking that they are genuine HMRC communications referring to their Self Assessment return. In the 12 months to January 2022, nearly 220,000 scams reported to HMRC offered bogus tax rebates.
Criminals target unsuspecting Self Assessment customers to try and steal money or personal information. They use phone calls, texts and emails to try and dupe citizens, and often mimic government messages to make them appear authentic. In January 2022, phone scams rose to 3,995 compared to 425 reported in April 2020.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “If someone contacts you saying they’re from HMRC, wanting you to transfer money or give personal information, be on your guard.
“Never let yourself be rushed, and if you’re in any doubt then check our ‘HMRC scams’ advice on GOV.UK.”
HMRC gave customers an extra month to submit a completed tax return and if customers filed by 28 February 2022, they would avoid a late filing penalty. More than 11.3 million customers filed their Self Assessment tax return by 28 February, with more than 1 million of those taking advantage of the extra time by filing in February.
Customers have until 1 April to pay their outstanding tax bill or set up a Time to Pay arrangement to avoid receiving a late payment penalty. Interest has been applied to all outstanding balances since 1 February.
Customers can now make Self Assessment payments quickly and securely through the HMRC app. Customers choosing to make secure Self Assessment payments through the HMRC app can either connect to their bank to make their payments or pay by Direct Debit, personal debit card or corporate/commercial credit/debit card.
Customers can report suspicious phone calls using a form on GOV.UK. Customers can also forward suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and texts to 60599.
HMRC has a dedicated team working on cyber and phone crimes. They use innovative technologies to prevent misleading and malicious communications from ever reaching the customer.
Since 2017, these technical controls have prevented 500 million emails from reaching HMRC’s customers. More recently, new controls have prevented 90% of the most convincing SMS messages from reaching the public and controls have been applied to prevent spoofing of most HMRC helpline numbers.
HMRC is also reminding Self Assessment customers to double check websites and online forms before using them to complete their 2020/21 tax return.
People can be taken in by misleading websites designed to make them pay for help in submitting tax returns or charging to connect them to HMRC phone lines.
Customers who are in any doubt about whether a website is genuine should visit GOV.UK for more information about Self Assessment and use the free signposted tax return forms.
The Met Office has issued an Amber, Be Prepared warning for high winds across parts of Scotland later today and through until the end of the morning peak period on Tuesday, as Storm Henry is set to arrive.
The worst of the conditions are expected in the Highlands, Strathclyde and along Western Coastal areas with wind speeds of up to 90mph forecast in some exposed areas.
This could lead to restrictions or closures of some of the key bridges on the trunk road network and disruption across other parts of the transport network, including ferries.
The winds are expected to worsen on Monday afternoon (1500) through the peak period on Tuesday morning (0900).
Transport Scotland is working with partner organisations, including Police Scotland and the transport operators, to try to mitigate the effects of the conditions. Our Multi-Agency Response Team (MART) has been active throughout the weekend at the National Traffic Control Centre and will continue operations into the new week.
The Trunk Road Operating Companies winter fleets have been out across the country, with teams treating and patrolling the roads and reacting to any incidents, but as conditions are expected to be changeable, motorists should follow Police advice.
Passengers should also check with their travel operator’s website before they leave and be mindful of the conditions. Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: “A wide range of agencies and organisations have their response plans in place to help mitigate the effects of this latest set of conditions but there is every likelihood of some disruption to the transport network in the coming few days.
“The wintry weather is forecast to deteriorate tomorrow with the arrival of Storm Henry which carries an Amber Alert for high winds from Monday afternoon continuing through the peak on Tuesday morning. Our Multi-Agency Response Team, based at the National Traffic Scotland Control Centre which has been in operation throughout the weekend will remain in place to monitor events and respond as required. Our fleet of patrol vehicles and gritters are treating roads where needed around the clock to help keep roads open to traffic, but quickly changing conditions means journeys could be disrupted.
“As always we would ask the public to play their part by listening to the latest weather forecasts and plan their journeys accordingly. With wet and windy conditions continuing and wind speeds expected to be as high as 90mph in some more exposed places, people should continue to check radio reports, visit the Traffic Scotland website or twitter feed, check with their transport operator, and take the latest police advice before setting off.”
Banks do not cold call customers with such instructions.
