Phishing Sting: £47 Million Stolen from UK Tax Office

Organized criminals embezzled £47 million from Britain's tax office by utilizing phishing tactics to access over 100,000 customer accounts. No customer suffered financial losses. The HMRC noticed unauthorized access and launched a criminal investigation leading to arrests, while affected accounts were secured and erroneous data removed.

Organized criminals orchestrated a complex phishing scheme last year, stealing £47 million from Britain's tax office. This audacious crime involved accessing over 100,000 customer accounts and making false claims for government payments.

HMRC deputy chief executive, Angela MacDonald, announced to parliament that these fraudsters successfully extracted funds in three increments, raising significant concerns. MacDonald emphasized the severity of the breach during a recent committee hearing.

Following the incident, HMRC took swift action by locking down compromised accounts and correcting tax records. In a statement to Reuters, HMRC clarified that this was not a cyberattack, but a sophisticated use of phishing tactics to exploit personal data.

(With inputs from agencies.)