14 DAY TRIAL // Users in the United Kingdom, beware! Cybercriminals have launched a spam campaign that leverages the name of the HMRC in an effort to distribute a new version of the notorious ZeuS banking Trojan.
According to researchers from MX Lab, the emails appear to come from employers @alerts.hmrc.gov.uk and they carry the subject line “HMRC Employer Alerts & Verification.”
“Thank you for your registration details which have been recorded for email alerts purposes only. We expect to send you three email alerts a year – February, May and December. These will give you the links to the latest Employer Bulletin and HMRC PAYE Tools (previously the Employer CD-ROM),” the emails read.
They continue, “Please complete all relevant sections of the attached application form and attach the appropriate documents to confirm your identity.”
The attached file is not an application form, but a malicious PDF document that unleashes the malware.
If you come across such emails, delete them immediately. The HMRC has nothing to do with them.