Income Tax Refund

[Jan Rosser]

Just received a message from "HMRC" about a tax refund - so badly worded and spelt I am really surprised that people are taken in by this scam or do they just see £ signs and think thank you very much I'll be happy to accept it. Of course I didn't click on the link but imagine it asks for bank account details to transfer the "rebate". Isn't it sad that one has to be so cautious and treat all messages/phone calls/emails with such suspicion but unfortunately the target is the elderly and vulnerable who can be very trusting and respond to these scams.

[barney]

I get a couple a week Jan plus phone calls and texts. I got two calls in ten minutes last week. I just laugh very loudly down the phone and they cut me off. I agree it's a disgrace and I block the calls but they use various numbers including mobile. I have to answer in case it's business.

[Ray B]

Tax refund. Oh, if only, wishful thinking.

[Mervyn and Trish]

It is amazing the scams some people fall for.

I guess it's in part since the advent of email.

It used to cost money to send out scam letters by post. It's free to send email so they can sent millions and if one in 100,000 bite they're laughing.

We even get messages about problems with our account from banks we don't have accounts with. But if they send enough some will ring true for the vulnerable.

By the way, PPI anyone? Send me your bank details and I'll sort it. And you compo from that car accident.

[david63]

For a while now I have been using SpamBully on my email account and feature in that package is called "Fight Back" and what it does is report a spam email as abuse to the hosts and yesterday I had an email response from a host to say that they had shut the account down.

Just doing my little bit for the rest of the world!

[towny44]

I have not recently added any new Spam busting software onto my laptop or tablet, however I think maybe Sky/Yahoo have done something because I am noticing a marked reduction in true Spam e-mails. I only had 6 in March and so far nothing in April on my main account, on my facebook e-mail account similarly almost every e-mail relates to facebook postings with only the odd Spam e-mail.
So good for whatever Yahoo are doing.

[Stephen]

Just received a message from "HMRC" about a tax refund - so badly worded and spelt I am really surprised that people are taken in by this scam or do they just see £ signs and think thank you very much I'll be happy to accept it. Of course I didn't click on the link but imagine it asks for bank account details to transfer the "rebate". Isn't it sad that one has to be so cautious and treat all messages/phone calls/emails with such suspicion but unfortunately the target is the elderly and vulnerable who can be very trusting and respond to these scams.

Had one of those a few weeks back Jan. Filed it under B.

[Kendhni]

Boy did I have some explaining to do a few weeks back. Julie never uses my computer but will often ask me to order stuff for her. Since I use two factor authentication, when possible, I was waiting for an email to come through. it didn't arrive and I thought I would check my spam folder. Unfortunately Julie was looking over my shoulder and thought that she should question me about the number of females that wanted to secretly meet me, send me nude pictures or were offering themselves freely to me as a buddy (loose translation of what they said). Several of the emails even expressed how much they enjoyed my company and even their favourite position (and no it was not sitting in front of the TV with a nice warm cup of tea).

The inferiority complex I had been basking in, over the number of emails for anatomical enlargement and viagra, suddenly paled into insignificance as I had to explain to Julie what spam and phishing attacks were. I am not sure whether or not she believed me until I went into her spam box and asked her to explain the similar entries she had been receiving.

[Kendhni]

PS: This was not helped because multiple people have given out my email address by mistake - or at least I assume it has been by mistake. So far I have received various benefit details, insurance details, payslips, mortgage applications and other personal details - unfortunately i have no address to forward them onto, but I do have things like names, addresses, Ni numbers (and equivalents), payroll data, P60's and even medical history.

However, the funniest one is someone who has an Ann Summers account and I have been receiving their order confirmations, with some very adventurous products ... yes I am talking to you, Kerry from Suffolk (hubby must be having a good time)

[Stephen]

Some people get all the luck

[GillD46]

I have not recently added any new Spam busting software onto my laptop or tablet, however I think maybe Sky/Yahoo have done something because I am noticing a marked reduction in true Spam e-mails. I only had 6 in March and so far nothing in April on my main account, on my facebook e-mail account similarly almost every e-mail relates to facebook postings with only the odd Spam e-mail.
So good for whatever Yahoo are doing.

I also have a Yahoo account and have noticed a similar reduction in Spam mail. Well done Yahoo.

[Manoverboard]

Many years ago ( as a BT customer ) I used BT/Yahoo for e-mailing, SPAM was a constant pain in the butt plus ' contacts ' were being stolen and corrupting non BT customers' e-mail. BT eventually got shot of Yahoo and the problem went away.

What did they do …. started using secure servers I would imagine.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I regularly get emails supposedly from a former colleague who died several years ago. I presume that is courtesy of a nicked contact list.

[Stephen]

I regularly get emails supposedly from a former colleague who died several years ago. I presume that is courtesy of a nicked contact list.

...or you owe him money and he's determined to collect

[Kendhni]

I regularly get emails supposedly from a former colleague who died several years ago. I presume that is courtesy of a nicked contact list.

Or maybe your computer is clairvoyant

[david63]

Or maybe your computer is clairvoyant

Could be "Cloud" computing