This week UK residence have been targeted by an advanced HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) tax rebate text messages (SMS) scam. The smishing campaign (phishing scam via SMS) is especially worrying as it employs multiple HMRC phishing domains and tactics with the scam evolving by adding new domains daily as older domains get flagged by spam filters.
The smishing scam is especially effective as it mimics HMRC’s web interface meticulously, while also having the entire online banking workflow build into it. The scams usually start with a text message informing the recipient that they have qualified for a tax rebait because they have recently paid “emergency tax”.
