Test your fraud detection skills

alanq

I don't know what to make of an email just received. It does not ask for personal information (it includes my full name), has no links to click on so seems OK. But the folks at HMRC wouldn't send out an email headed "Your have a tax code change" ... or would they?

agrinnall

alanq wrote: »

I don't know what to make of an email just received. It does not ask for personal information (it includes my full name), has no links to click on so seems OK. But the folks at HMRC wouldn't send out an email headed "Your have a tax code change" ... or would they?

Surely the obvious thing to do is to check your online tax account to see if you have had a tax code change. If you have then the email is valid, if you haven't then it's not.

surreysaver

Zanderman wrote: »

I logged that one as fraudulent because telling me what number they'd text from is meaningless and nowhere near secure. Why would that number be reliable?? They could still be a fraudster and the text from xxx might well be fishing for information in some way. I've never had a message from a bank saying they will text me from another number - and would not trust it if they did.

A poor question imho - which made me doubt the effectiveness of the whole questionnaire.

Its better to err on the side of caution by not reacting to a genuine text, than reacting to a fake one

adindas

Zanderman wrote: »

I logged that one as fraudulent because telling me what number they'd text from is meaningless and nowhere near secure. Why would that number be reliable?? They could still be a fraudster and the text from xxx might well be fishing for information in some way. I've never had a message from a bank saying they will text me from another number - and would not trust it if they did.

A poor question imho - which made me doubt the effectiveness of the whole questionnaire.

Very good point.
I hardly ever call a phone number, text, email the number provided by the email , text in relation to my bank account that I already have asking for personal information. In this occasion, what I normally do is to call their customer service number, the phone number that I am familiar with, and then ask them to check it or to contact their fraudulent team.

Of course it is different if
- On rare occasion I know I apply for the product (have not got previous realtionsip with them) and ask me to call back to specific number regarding my application. But I will make sure I google the phone number first.

- I myself logging on my online banking and I got the phone number from the secure message on the my online banking.

Vortigern

alanq wrote: »

I don't know what to make of an email just received. It does not ask for personal information (it includes my full name), has no links to click on so seems OK. But the folks at HMRC wouldn't send out an email headed "Your have a tax code change" ... or would they?

I've had similar headed "HMRC Check your income tax service" and advising of a change of tax code. This was when I started to draw a pension so was expected and likely to be genuine. No links in the email except in the anti-phishing warning at the bottom.

I believe this replaces the Notice of Coding that they used to post out.

badger09

alanq wrote: »

I don't know what to make of an email just received. It does not ask for personal information (it includes my full name), has no links to click on so seems OK. But the folks at HMRC wouldn't send out an email headed "Your have a tax code change" ... or would they?

If HMRC have sent it, I hope they didn't say "Your have a tax code change":(

"You have a tax code change" or "Your tax code has changed" :cool:

Shakin_Steve

badger09 wrote: »

If HMRC have sent it, I hope they didn't say "Your have a tax code change":(

"You have a tax code change" or "Your tax code has changed" :cool:

Quite right! How dare you make a typo, alanq?

alanq

Shakin_Steve wrote: »

Quite right! How dare you make a typo, alanq?

No typo on my part.

From: noreply @tax.service.gov.uk
Subject: Your Income Tax estimate has changed

The heading was as I quoted "Your have a tax code change"

Kim_13

I had one from Capital One recently. Click this link to update your phone number. Looked genuine, signed Richard Rolls as they usually are.

Went via a bookmark I have to the Online Account Servicing to check my number instead.

Shakin_Steve

alanq wrote: »

No typo on my part. The heading was as I quoted.

I beg your pardon, then it’s obvious not from HMRC.