Phishing is a scam that has been around for a few years where criminals send emails to thousands of people. Historically these emails have purported to come from banks, credit card companies, online shops and other trusted organisations. They usually contain a compelling but bogus reason to send money or personal details to a specific address or go to a fake site, for example to update your password before your account is suspended.

Victims are usually asked to click on an embedded link in the email itself which takes them to a website that looks exactly like the real thing but is, in fact, a fake site designed to trick victims into entering personal information such as a password or credit card number.

The effectiveness of these scams diminishes as more people become aware of them, so the criminals come up with new ideas – and Barnes Roffe has become aware these criminals have decided H M Revenue & Customs (HMRC) can help them put a new angle on their old trick.