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Right on the heels of our article on fraudsters, comes this new scam that seems to be doing the rounds among British expats. We deemed the threat serious enough to publish it on our website. For more details
Phoney revenue forms con expats
Bogus tax forms, claiming to be from the taxman, are being sent out to unsuspecting staff working abroad in a bid to gain bank details from them.
British citizens overseas are receiving what professes to be a P86, for staff "Not Ordinarily Resident in the UK".
The taxpayer is asked to return the completed form, to Kensington House, 33, Imperial Square, Cheltenham.
But it is a "brass plate" address and the letters were being forwarded to Lagos in Nigeria.
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs' deputy director Shirley Davies has written to six of the UK's largest accountancy firms and several multinational companies, warning them of the scam.
In her letter, she says the logo, phone and fax numbers and address on the letterhead are all false.
Plausible
Mike Warburton, a Cheltenham-based tax partner with one of the accountants, Grant Thornton, visited the bogus address.
"Two ladies there were innocently forwarding the letters to Nigeria. But the letters are now being handed to the police."
He has examined a copy of one of the forms, sent to a BP employee working in Abu Dhabi and said it was very "plausible".
"A lot of people would be naturally guarded if asked for bank details, except when they get a letter from Inland Revenue.
"It's the one official body that writes to you asking for personal financial information where, as a good citizen, you would respond to it.
"That's the problem, that's why in a way the scam is so clever."
Big accounts
He added that the conmen may even have hired accomplices to sift through BP's rubbish to gain vital information.
"Getting hold of names and addresses is not that difficult, this sort of thing of thing would be central to their operation.
"ID fraud is so widespread. This was a PO box number, it's easy to employ someone to go through BP's refuse tips.
"It's something that can happen to anyone, not just people working abroad. They're likely to have been targeted because non-residents are likely to have a big bank account." |
