Fraudsters continue to use fake vehicle tax emails as a means to obtain sensitive information. Here are some examples to keep an eye out for.
Vehicle tax phishing emails are a tried and tested method for scammers. The DVLA has issued fraud warnings in the past and we’ve ensured we share examples.
But as always with such a large number of motorists seen as potential victims, the problem persists. We’ve had a number of new examples reported here on Which? Conversation and to our scam watch email inbox.
Here are some fresh examples, complete with threats of debt collection agencies and cancelled direct debits.
Fake vehicle tax email examples
The above example was sent earlier this year directly to a Which? member of staff. It includes an attempt at personalisation with the recipient’s email address repeated in the first line.
This is a clever tactic for making the email appear genuine with minimal effort, however it clearly does not stand up to scrutiny when you realise that the fraudsters must already have knowledge of your email address to send the phishing attempt in the first place.
This more recent example again makes threats in order to panic a potential victim into taking quick action they’ll later regret. ‘Enforcement action’ and ‘not adhering to the terms of the Direct Debit guarantee’ are all attempts to cause worry and upset – emotions those behind emails like this are attempting to take advantage of.
Which? Conversation commenter Lidia has also had a similar experience.
Dealing with vehicle tax phishing emails
We showed the DVLA these examples. A spokesperson said:
“DVLA never asks for bank details over email and never sends text messages about vehicle tax refunds. As we regularly advise our customers, the only place to access official information on DVLA and its services is GOV.UK.
Customers should report any suspicious emails they receive to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) via their suspicious email service, and forward suspicious text messages to their network provider to investigate, on 7726 free of charge.
Anyone who believes they have been the victim of fraud should report this to the police via Action Fraud. DVLA regularly publishes advice on GOV.UK and across all our channels, including top tips to help motorists stay safe online.”
If you think you may have been the victim of a fake vehicle tax email, let your bank know what’s happened immediately.
Guide: how to get your money back after a scam
As the DVLA has said, fake emails and phishing sites can be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre on report@phishing.gov.uk
We’ll continue working to make people aware of these fake emails, so please do continue to share these scams with us and send warnings to friends and family.
Have you received a vehicle tax scam email or any others relating to motoring? Let us know in the comments.
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