Are you a business owner or director that has an account with Companies House? If so, you need to be aware of the various phishing scams you could be subjected to. The agency issued warnings in February last year about a fake email being sent out claiming to be from Companies House and it’s something business owners should constantly be vigilant for.
These types of scams can take many forms, but let’s take a look at some of the known examples that have cost companies money or led to a data breach.
Telephone scams
Companies have previously reported scam telephone calls requesting payment of late filing penalties, their Companies House authentication code, and to confirm directors’ details, such as full dates of birth.
However, Companies House will never contact a business for immediate payment of a penalty, will not ask for your authentication code over the phone, and will not contact you by phone to find out who your officers are, or to ask for secure information.
In the event you receive a phone call like this, Companies House recommends attempting to get a return telephone number and contacting them immediately on 0303 1234 500.
Email scams
Phishing emails are one of the most common methods hackers attempt to acquire sensitive information or gain access to a computer network.
The best way to identify a scam email is to check the email domain it originates from, but there are a number of examples of scam emails that claim to be from Companies House that you should be aware of.
WebFiling account scam
This scam originates from the email domain @libero.it, and claims to be about ‘important matters related to your Companies House WebFiling account”.
Do not click on any of the links within the email, download attachments, or reply. Companies House recommends deleting the email from all mailboxes, including your deleted items.
Online identification scam
This email scam sends you to a fake Companies House website and asks you to complete online identification. Like with the email sending domain (libero.it), the website domain is the best way to spot that the webpage is fake (the part of the URL that follows ‘https’).
Company complaint scam
This scam claims that a complaint has been submitted to the Companies House WebFiling service. These emails might contain attachments to download or links, and it’s essential that you do not download or click on anything in these emails.
Correction request scam
These emails claim that a correction to your Companies House filing is required, and will typically be accompanied by a warning to ‘not ignore to avoid legal action’. Threatening language like this is considered inappropriate for a government agency, so if you do receive an email claiming that you could face legal action, that’s a clear sign it’s a scam.
Letter scams
While scam emails can be identified by looking at the sending domain, this is not the case with letters, which can make them harder to identify. Examples of letter scams you need to look out for include:
Payment code scam
This scam involves requesting a payment to avoid suspension of web filing benefits. The letter will provide instructions on how to pay, either via a URL or QR code.
Company Registry scam
A similar letter scam being operated is asking people to make a payment to confirm company details and activate a secure vault. The letter also warns that failure to ‘complete activation today’ will lead to an overdue status.
Companies House prosecuting solicitors scam
Some companies have received emails claiming to be from Companies House prosecuting solicitors, asking for payment to clear an outstanding invoice for ‘prior penalty negotiations’. However, Companies House does not issue those letters.
If you’ve received a suspicious phone call, email, letter or text purporting to be from Companies House, you can report it to [email protected].
Securing the services of an experienced and trusted chartered accountancy firm can help ensure you do not fall victim to these types of scams, as you can refer any concerns around penalty fees, registration fees and anything else to do with company formation to our team.
Get in touch today to find out how we can help your business, as well as the range of services we offer.
© 2019 Warr & Co Chartered Accountants. Warr & Co Chartered Accountants is a member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW). Whilst the information detailed here is updated regularly to ensure it remains factually correct, it does not in any way constitute specific advice and no responsibility shall be accepted for any actions taken directly as a consequence of reading it. If you would like to discuss any of the points raised and / or engage our services in providing advice specific to your personal circumstances, please feel free to contact any one of the partners on 0161 477 6789 or contact us via our website forms. Warr & Co Chartered Accountants are registered to carry our audit work in the UK, our audit registration number is C002961684, for more information please visit www.auditregister.org.uk.