HM Revenue and Customs, the UK’s tax authority, has reported an increase of 29% in the number of malicious or fraudulent websites it has taken down over the last 12 months.
According to figures released by the authority, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) requested for a record 20,750 malicious websites to be taken down in the past year. It has issued a warning to the public to remain alert to the risks of online phishing scams and other types of fraud, and to report these as part of the government’s ongoing efforts to tackle the problem.
One of the most popular types of scam involves criminals sending emails or text messages posing as HMRC, and asking for bank account details in order to offer tax refunds. As well as taking down the websites perpetrators are using to facilitate such scams, the tax authority is also pursuing a number of innovative technological solutions to the problem.
How is HMRC continuing to tackle the challenges of fraud?
As well as using information from reports by the general public to remove malicious websites, HM Revenue and Customs has employed smart technologies which can recognise and block phishing scams automatically.
The department is currently running a pilot programme for a technology which identifies phishing texts claiming to be from HMRC and blocks them from being delivered; it reports a 90% reduction in spoofed HMRC-related text messages since April of last year. Further, HMRC now uses an independent verification system to confirm the sources of certain emails, which it estimates has stopped 500m fraudulent emails from reaching the general public since November 2016.
Responding to the report, UK Treasury Minister Mel Stride MP, emphasised the role that reports from the general public play in supporting HMRC’s efforts to take down these attempts at fraud. He said: “The criminals behind these scams prey on the public and abuse their trust in government. We’re determined to stop them. HMRC is cracking down harder than ever, as these latest figures show. But we need the public’s help as well. By doing the right thing and reporting suspicious messages you will not only protect yourself, you will protect other potential victims.”
