Over the last few weeks, we have been seeing increased activity with regard to correspondence pretending to be from Companies House. The letters and emails appear to be genuine with Companies House logo etc on the top. Some examples of those letters can be seen on their website, including details on how to report these to them.
The advice is always never to disclose personal information or open attachments, and that Companies House will NEVER ask for your authentication code. For most clients we hold your authentication code, and we are fully aware of the risks of the scam, but for those of you who file forms yourselves at Companies House, please be vigilant. If you are ever unsure, please take the time to check before acting on the request.
These type of phishing requests are not just from Companies House, HMRC have also warned that letters purporting to be from them asking for financial information are not genuine.
One example is a letter addressed from “Indv and Small Business Compliance” at HMRC. It states that, in response to a recent government initiative, the recipient of the letter should send certain documents to HMRC by email. The documents include the business’ bank statements, accounts and VAT return, and a copy of the driving license for each director.
HMRC’s advice
A HMRC spokesperson has confirmed that the letter is fraudulent and has given advice on how to stay safe online:
“People should protect their information. This means taking a moment to think before parting with money or information and using strong and different passwords on all accounts.
If a phone call, text, letter or email is suspicious or unexpected, the person should not give out private information, reply to it, download attachments or click on links. The person should not trust caller ID on phones as numbers can be spoofed. It is possible to check on GOV.UK that the contact is genuinely from HMRC, although this has not yet been updated for the recent letter.
If the person is unsure about an item of correspondence, they should report it to HMRC. They should contact their bank immediately if they’ve had money stolen, and also report it to Action Fraud”
If you are concerned, please speak to one of the Wheelers team.