UK Taxman Hacked by Phishers: £47 Million Gone, But It’s Not a Cyberattack!
Cyberbaddies swiped £47 million from HMRC, but it wasn’t a cyberattack, just a case of criminals masquerading as customers. Around 100,000 people affected will be contacted, but HMRC insists there’s no financial loss. Despite the hefty sum, HMRC calls it a “small loss to the taxpayer.”
Hot Take:
Looks like some cyber-miscreants decided to play a game of “Finders Keepers” with the HMRC’s pockets, making off with a cool £47 million. But don’t worry, HMRC assures us it’s not a cyberattack, just some top-notch phishing with a side of jurisdictional hide-and-seek. Meanwhile, taxpayers are left wondering if their tax collector is just trying to redefine the term “security breach” to make themselves feel better.
Key Points:
- The HMRC lost £47 million ($63 million) due to fraud, but insists it wasn’t a cyberattack.
- Phishing activities led to unauthorized access to around 100,000 tax accounts.
- The fraudsters used legitimate credentials obtained from phishing or other sources.
- HMRC claims to have stopped greater fraud attempts worth £1.9 billion in the previous year.
- HMRC has come under criticism for delayed disclosure of the fraud to Parliament.
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