HMRC has issued a warning about a new scam targeting small businesses. An e-mail will be received with the subject heading “Your 2016 Tax Report” (or any year) that contains an attachment. HMRC never sends out such e-mails; it is a phishing attempt. If you click on the link and you’ll be encouraged to disclose valuable information such as personal data. Any attachment may be a backdoor to your computer, even if it appears as a PDF. Computer virus or hack can be made to look like any kind of file including PDF, word, excel etc.

If you receive this type of e-mail, forward it to HMRC at phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk and then delete it immediately.

Tip. HMRC publishes a list of genuine e-mails which it regularly updates. Anything suspicious can be reported to HMRC using the above e-mail address. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/genuine-hmrc-contact-and-recognising-phishing-emails

TRUST the source - Unless I know the sender, I never open attachments or click on links