Organised crime

It's all very confusing, the modern world, isn't it? Today I received an email purporting to be from HM Revenue and Customs, declaring that I was eligible for a tax refund of J342.90! Yes, that's right J342.90.

With my razor intellect I was able to spot the flaw in this particular ruse, since I have noted on a number of occasions that we use Pounds Sterling in this country rather than Js, whatever those might be.

So, it's a phishing scam of some sort. No doubt I have to hand over my life savings in order to get hold of this J342.90 rebate. Which, when you come to think of it, is rather like the arrangement I have with the real HM Revenue and Customs. 

I checked the HMRC website, and it seems that this is a pretty common fraud attempt. But it's confusing, isn't it, when you have a bunch of organised criminals sending out emails that look like they come from the real organised criminals and with a modus operandi that it indistinguishable from the real thing too?

What's an honest man supposed to do?

Comments

[peter horne]

I don't know. If I ever find one I'll ask him.

[TDK]

It probably IS from the Taxman, who has worked out that if he makes it look like a Nigerian Scam no one will actually claim the money they are due.

[eu007]

It may be a computer problem. In Russia I found that one of the computers I used would always produce a J instead of a pound sign. Maybe it's a sign it was produced on a foreign system?