Are the HMRC having a bad computer week?

[Don]

So both the wife and I have had bonkers letters from the HMRC on our Self Assessment Statements. On mine, apparently on the 20th of June, I told them I had 20Ks worth of allowable expenses and therefore was owed back £4700 or so.

My wife got around four K they were going to pay to her "nominee". Someone we didn't know oop north and also, most likely, an innocent in this.

So I called them up (as did the wife) and told them that no they did not owe me any money and please would they keep it as I didn't want to receive it only to need to pay it back days later...and the wife called them so that someone completely different would not be sent a cheque that they would then want to claim back - from my wife!!!!

Now. The likelihood of ballsing up both our Self Assessment Statements within days of one another seems.....very, very remote.

So is anyone else experiencing oddities? I think their systems are fked...

[Eric Mc]

Are they genuine HMRC letters?

Do you have an accountant?

[sumo69]

Sounds like someone has hacked into your account and completed a tax return indicating a large refund and entered a nominee to receive the money ie themselves!

Call HMRC IMMEDIATELY to check whether this is what has happened - it wasn't uncommon a couple of years back.

David

[rix]

Definitely sounds like a hijack. Good luck getting it sorted

[Don]

Eric Mc said:

Are they genuine HMRC letters?

Do you have an accountant?

Hi Eric,
Yes, they are genuine HMRC letters.
We DO have an accountant - who submits our returns on-line. In neither case did he do that. Neither of us personally file returns on-line ourselves.
We both (individually) called the HMRC and told them on no account to pay out the money.
They have assured us that they will not. It's very curious that both of us should have a problem at the same time - hence the query.
I think it is more likely this is a problem internal to the HMRC than an attempt to steal money from us via the HMRC - which strikes me as a very risky strategy!

[rix]

Both got the same accountant? Maybe their account that's been hacked

[anonymous-user]

I would also speak to your accountants ASAP, the fact you've both had a letter COULD indicate that their computer system has been compromised.

[schmunk]

Agreed. Far more likely to be your accountant at fault (one way or another) than HMRC.

HMRC are useless at times (I deal with them a lot for personal tax matters) but this isn't their style of useless...

[sumo69]

Yes - either you or your accountant's computers have been hacked.

Perhaps they should invest a few more £££ on security?

David

[Don]

rix said:

Both got the same accountant? Maybe their account that's been hacked

Good thought. I've emailed my accountant to ask if there's a problem. Grrr.

[Don]

sumo69 said:

Yes - either you or your accountant's computers have been hacked.

Perhaps they should invest a few more £££ on security?

David

I don't think it's mine. I run pretty sophisticated defences against this sort of stuff. Not impossible of course but not likely, particularly as I don't file returns myself.

The HMRC had already decided that there was a problem by the time I called them...but at least it is on record that I do not believe I am owed the money and they should not pay it.

[eliot]

Don said:

Good thought. I've emailed my accountant to ask if there's a problem. Grrr.

Bit pointless - as that is probably the first thing they hacked. Get on the blower this morning and also get your hmrc online pw changed asap too.

[murray]

wife got something similar recently and reported it straightaway. ~4k refund to nominee account when she only pays around £800 additional tax via her return so no ide how they justified that rebate. Still they did it, fraud, apparently police are investigating.

[Don]

eliot said:

Bit pointless - as that is probably the first thing they hacked. Get on the blower this morning and also get your hmrc online pw changed asap too.

I don't actually have an HMRC on-line account. Which is why this is odd. How can they hack an account I don't have!??

I'm investigating the accountant angle. HMRC will not pay out any money as they've been notified. Not much more I can do, now.

Waiting to see....I still think this is an internal cock-up...but if it affected the two of us it MUST be affecting thousands more. I've not heard of anything so the accountant (being hacked) theory makes the most sense.

[Dr Interceptor]

Don said:

I don't actually have an HMRC on-line account. Which is why this is odd. How can they hack an account I don't have!??

I'm investigating the accountant angle. HMRC will not pay out any money as they've been notified. Not much more I can do, now.

Waiting to see....I still think this is an internal cock-up...but if it affected the two of us it MUST be affecting thousands more. I've not heard of anything so the accountant (being hacked) theory makes the most sense.

You will have an online account, the accountant will use it to submit the returns on your behalf.

More than likely the accountants have been compromised in some way.

[murray]

My understanding is that it's whoever that did your tax return online that has been compromised. They seem to get your information and then put in your return for this year with details that entitles them to a rebate.

[FredClogs]

You pay an accountant so you don't have to deal with the revenue, well I do anyway, no need buy dog and wag own tail (as my grandad used to say).

Ring your accountant he's either dodgy or been a victim of a scam.

[Don]

Well thanks everyone for your useful comments. Indeed my accountant had a problem - yes he was hacked. He's sorted it out with the Revenue already.

He's changed his password and so on.

The security of the HMRC system should be better. You've got to wonder if they should introduce two factor authentication (tokens) for submissions with this sort of thing going on. They'd tried to get my wife's "refund" directed to some woman in Yorkshire but, bizarrely, my "refund" was coming to me!!! How on earth do they benefit from that other than causing devilment? I'd have just given the money back...

[Dr Interceptor]

Don said:

Well thanks everyone for your useful comments. Indeed my accountant had a problem - yes he was hacked. He's sorted it out with the Revenue already.

He's changed his password and so on.

The security of the HMRC system should be better. You've got to wonder if they should introduce two factor authentication (tokens) for submissions with this sort of thing going on. They'd tried to get my wife's "refund" directed to some woman in Yorkshire but, bizarrely, my "refund" was coming to me!!! How on earth do they benefit from that other than causing devilment? I'd have just given the money back...

Given the level of information that the HMRC system leaves anyone party to, you'd think security would be akin to what the banks use, especially for agents who manage multiple accounts.

If your accountant was hacked, I wonder how many are every year?