HMRC have released a reminder warning taxpayers not to be caught out by email phishing scams which offer tax rebates in return for bank account or credit card details. Anyone responding to this type of email risks opening their bank account to fraudsters and having their details sold on to other organised criminal gangs.

The online filing deadline was not the only record recently broken with HMRC reporting that in the three months prior to 31 January, over 23,000 phishing emails were reported to them, an increase of 47% on the same period a year earlier. During 2013, 91,000 phishing emails were reported to HMRC.

As a result of taxpayers forwarding these emails, HMRC was last month able to close down 178 websites which it found were the source of these emails with over 1,476 websites closed down around the world in 2013 in locations such as the USA and Russia.

HMRC reminded taxpayers that anyone who is due a refund of tax is never contacted via email, a letter will be sent through the post. Further advice is offered in the reminder.