Certax protects customers from scammers and fraudsters

The franchise recently broke down the most common scamming methods employed by criminals, warning customers to be on the lookout.

Certax has seen, throughout the pandemic, an increase in the number of people choosing to take advantage of businesses in vulnerable moments. But once you know what you’re looking for, you won’t be drawn in. That’s why the bookkeeping and accounting franchise is raising awareness of prevalent scams that its customers might run into.

One such common method is impersonating the taxman. According to Certax, “There has been a significant rise in scam texts, emails and phone calls claiming to be from HMRC. Emails mimicking HMRC, with invitations to apply for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant, and texts offering refunds or funding because of lockdown are among those in circulation.”

Scammers capitalise on confusion with the SEISS, because, “HMRC has been contacting some claimants to carry out pre-verification checks. However, if this is the case, HMRC should notify you by letter in advance.”

Another common scam is directed at pension savers. Speaking on this, Certax said, “Pension savers have long been a target of scammers, and losses from pension fraud rose to £1.8 million in the first three months of this year, according to figures from Action Fraud. Pension scams often include free pension reviews, 'too good to be true' investment opportunities and offers to help release money from your pension, even for under 55s, which is not permitted under the pension freedom rules.”

Tell-tale signs of a scam in action include: Bad grammar, spelling mistakes, messages sent on WhatApp, cold callers offering free services, invitations to click on links or open attachments, emails that begin with “Hello” or end with “Thank you for your cooperation”.

If, like Certax, you’re interested in protecting the financial futures of people across the UK, consider becoming a Certax franchisee for a minimum investment of £11,750. Find out more about the accounting company via its profile page, linked above.