HMRC Sending e-mails with links

[Noah]

Is it just me, or is this a very bad idea? Seems to be training us to click on links in e-mails, when all the other messages are "Don't click on links in e-mails!" (which advice, albeit belated, I strongly agree with, for the record).

It's about the HMRC Customer Online Forum, if you are interested, and the link is valid, and is not directly a security risk... but it's the principle of the thing, dammit!

 

[blueprinthub.co.uk]

Is it just me, or is this a very bad idea? Seems to be training us to click on links in e-mails, when all the other messages are "Don't click on links in e-mails!" (which advice, albeit belated, I strongly agree with, for the record).

It's about the HMRC Customer Online Forum, if you are interested, and the link is valid, and is not directly a security risk... but it's the principle of the thing, dammit!

I would advise being very careful about these kind of e-mails.

I have had some emails from people claiming to be from HMRC and I ALWAYS check before opening links or attachments, and they're almost always phishing scams.

HMRC has a phishing team you can forward suspicious e-mails to in order to get them checked and verified.

 

[Noah]

I would advise being very careful about these kind of e-mails.

I have had some emails from people claiming to be from HMRC and I ALWAYS check before opening links or attachments, and they're almost always phishing scams.

HMRC has a phishing team you can forward suspicious e-mails to in order to get them checked and verified.

Thank you.

This is NOT a phishing e-mail. It IS a genuine e-mail from HMRC with an active link to a genuine HMRC Web page. This is the problem.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

Read them but log into your account as you normally would (not their link) . I have not had one in the last couple of months but I was not aware they were sending links

 

[ffox]

It's about the HMRC Customer Online Forum

The ones I see are the HMRC Business Help and Support Emails. These come with a return address of [email protected] and they are genuine.

Personally, I never click on links in emails, even if I trust the sender. The scammers can very easily create official looking mail, so an in-depth check is always worthwhile.
That's okay if your a one man business, but it gets more difficult for a business with employees who have Internet access. I wouldn't necessarily expect an employee to know how to validate a mail sender, or to have the judgement to spot a spam or scam.

A company policy prohibiting users from 'following' click links in emails should be in place and the policy should be refreshed frequently with every user to ensure that they are aware.

Exchange (including Exchange on-line) and Outlook can be configured to filter messages that contain common words that look like click links, such as 'Book Here' or 'Click Here'.

I guess that G-Mail can do similar.

I agree that organisations such as HMRC should NEVER send mails containing links. They have the infrastructure to ask, via email, that you log on to the HMRC site and view their communications in that secure environment.

Most people have very little idea of the business and personal risk level associated with 'following' links in emails.

 

[Noah]

The ones I see are the HMRC Business Help and Support Emails. These come with a return address of [email protected] and they are genuine.

Yup. I receive those, and have no quibble with them.

I agree that organisations such as HMRC should NEVER send mails containing links.

THIS is the practice that concerns me.