Fake email from HMRC asking you to confirm MTD gateway credentials

We have recently been sent an email from an account pretending to be HMRC, asking to confirm MTD gateway credentials that need to be actioned within 48 hours.  

If an email comes through, and it looks or sounds slightly off and not something you may have experienced before, do not respond or click on a link until you are certain you know it is genuine. 

We advise you not to forward the email to anyone, as this then risks the link being clicked by others!  

Luckily, we noticed something wasn’t right and reported it straight away, and we want to help you be able to identify a scam email and do the same. 

A few tips: 

• Always check the email address that it has been sent from, and if anything looks slightly different to normal, it may not be from HMRC  

• When reading through, does it sound different? Or, is it addressed differently than normal? 

• This email had a time pressure element, and HMRC don’t normally give you that sort of time frame for something they have only just sent you.  

• Lastly, consider what they are asking. Is this something you were expecting? Or, is it something you are hearing of for the first time and didn’t know anything about? 

What to do if you have clicked a link: 

If you have clicked on any links or opened any attachments, we recommend you run your antivirus software as a matter of urgency and update any relevant passwords. 

If you have disclosed any personal details to this scam, please forward a report to security.custcon@hmrc.gov.uk. 

If you have disclosed any bank or card details, please contact your bank or card issuer immediately. 

If you are ever worried about the authenticity of an email from HMRC, please do get in contact with us, and send us a screenshot of the email to contact@whyfield.co.uk  

To stay up to date with all scam emails, letters, or messages we have been made aware of, head to our Warnings & Scams page.