HMRC urges major retailers to help in fight against Apple iTunes scam
One 81-year-old reported he had lost £20,000 due to the con after being repeatedly targeted by crooks
HMRC has urged the UK's major retailers to let their staff know about an iTunes gift card scam which is conning victims out of thousands of pounds.
The majority of victims are elderly and have lost £1,150 on average due to the con - but last week one 81-year-old reported losing an eye-watering £20,000 after being repeatedly targeted.
Before Christmas HMRC warned that there had been 1,500 reports of the scam since 2016, with victims cold called by crooks pretending to be from HMRC.
They tell them that they owe large amounts of tax, which they can only pay off through digital vouchers and gift cards, including those used for Apple's iTunes store.
Victims are told to go to a local shop, buy these vouchers and then read out the redemption code to the scammer.
The conmen then sell on the codes or purchase high-value products, all at the victim's expense.
HMRC says following its warning, several shop workers across the country have warned customers buying hundreds of pounds worth of vouchers that they could be about to become another victim of the scam.
And now it wants all staff to be made aware of the scam to help protect those who could be about to become a victim.
Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s director general of customer service, said: "It's really reassuring to see reports of supermarket staff, off their own back, taking action to keep customers safe. Raising public awareness is the best safeguard against this vicious scam.
"Supermarket staff are often the last line of defence against these fraudsters. That’s why I’ve written to the chief executives of major UK retailers to urge them to make their staff aware of this scam so they can help protect unsuspecting customers."
How to protect yourself from scams
SCAMMERS are becoming increasingly clever to trick customers into transferring them money or giving away their personal information. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself.
- Never give out personal or financial information on the phone or by email. Your bank, the police or any other organisation will never ask you for these in full
- Never allow someone remote access to your computer following a cold call
- Don’t rely on caller ID – numbers can be spoofed by fraudsters to make it look like they’re calling from a trusted number
- Your bank, the police or any other company, will never call to ask you to transfer your money out of your account for security reasons
- Be wary of all cold calls claiming to be from banks, police, or other trusted organisations – if you have any concerns, call back on an independently verified number
- If you have fallen victim to a scam, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040
Scammers are becoming increasingly clever to get you to give up your cash.
In January HMRC warned Brits not to fall for a new email scam which claims they are entitled to a tax refund.
Natwest customers were warned not be fooled by a new scam which drops fake text messages into genuine message threads.
In November, it was announced bank customers who are tricked into transferring money to a fraudster could find it easier to get their money back.
More on money
Currently, victims have no legal right to get their money back if they are conned into transferring money by bank transfer.
But the Payments System Regulator (PSR) is considering introducing a compensation scheme for victims.
In the first six months of 2017, more than 19,000 people were victims of transfer scams, costing over £100million.
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