Scammers successfully defrauded HM Revenue and Customs of £47 million by accessing over 100,000 taxpayer accounts through phishing tactics. This identity theft scheme, revealed at a Treasury Select Committee hearing, was characterized by HMRC officials as a serious failure that did not involve a direct cyber attack on their systems. Instead, criminals used stolen personal information to impersonate victims and claim false tax rebates. While HMRC has secured the compromised accounts, MPs expressed frustration over the lack of timely communication regarding the fraud's scale.
Scammers stole £47 million from HMRC by fraudulently accessing taxpayer accounts using phishing tactics. This sophisticated identity theft scheme targeted over 100,000 accounts.
Angela MacDonald emphasized the severity of the situation stating, 'A lot of money was taken, and it's very unacceptable,' highlighting the impact on innocent taxpayers.
John-Paul Marks indicated HMRC's actions post-incident: 'We took significant action to intercept this incident...identified the accounts being misused, shut them down...,'
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