Do you use online banking?

@HoeBag Although my Internet access is by computer not 'phone, I have the same concerns about security and system breakdowns.

@ArishMell That is a valid concern too. I THINK though that scammers probably concentrate more on hacking phones than computers because people typically use their phones more these days.

Although, scammers will ultimately do ANYthing to try to steal.

@HoeBag You are probably right. I don't have a "smart"-'phone so don't know what happens on them. However most fraud and phishing attempts I receive come as e-posts anyway. I block and report them.

Some are obviously false because they refer to companies or services I do not use!

Others because their sending names are so totally and clearly false, such as a very long string of random letters before a real or bogus domain. I don't know what that is supposed to do - perhaps it gets round certain types of spam filter.

@ArishMell It is not much different on smart phones - one often receives texts from scammers about how the shipping label on their Amazon package was damaged and they need us to verify our info.

I get those a lot. Well that is funny because I almost never order anything from Amazon.

Or maybe texts saying we owe the IRS and they will send us to jail if we do not pay.
Funny cause the IRS does not send out texts.

@HoeBag How do the tax authorities communicate with people then? Do they always send letters?

Here the tax man will send texts but they never include links and never require an answer. They simply tell you that there is a message waiting in your inbox in the tax system but they don't tell you the address so they avoid training people to just click.

@HoeBag I even receive fraud-attempt e-posts notifying me of a voice-message. The senders do not know I use a PC not a 'phone for Internet use, but seem to assume the latter.

The UK's tax authorities use letters.

HMRC has an on-line system for tax-returns and demand that all businesses use that; but they do not use text-messages.

DVLA works similarly, and still gives us the choice of renewing our annual vehicle "Road Fund Licence" (road-use tax) by letter, at a Post Office or on-line.

I pay my "Council Tax", for the local authority services, by direct-debit and am not sure what payment options are available; but the annual invoice is still by letter.


Scammers do pretend to be government agencies including HMRC, but their attempts are usually clearly false by a careful look at the message. Now, I use a PC with 19" screen, so it may be easier to spot subtle details than on a 'phone display the size of a couple of playing-cards, but the sending address is usually a dead give-away, as well as the non-likelihood of the message anyway.


[HMRC: His Majesty's Revenue & Customs, the UK's national tax-gathering service.

DVLA: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, covering vehicle registrations, the Road Fund Licence originally intended for subsidising roads building and maintenance, and driving-licences.]