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-------------------------------------------------------------- This story was printed from ZDNet Australia. --------------------------------------------------------------
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UK government staff hit by ID theft scam By Andy McCue, silicon.com December 06, 2005 URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/UK-government-staff-hit-by-ID-theft-scam/0,130061744,139226169,00.htm
Criminals have stolen the identities of 1,500 staff in the UK's Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and used them to make fraudulent tax claims on a government Web site. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been forced to close its tax credit e-portal while it develops new checks to ensure the system is secure. The fraud came to light during compliance checks by HMRC and a criminal investigation is now underway into how the 1,500 DWP staff had their identities stolen. A spokesperson for the DWP said "all options" are being investigated when asked if insiders were involved in the scam. The DWP and HMRC said they are carrying out an in-depth investigation into how the fraud happened and to identify and correct the records affected. A spokesperson for HMRC said: "We take fraud very seriously and we have taken swift action. We are looking to reinstate the e-portal as soon as possible." HMRC is also setting up a helpline for any DWP staff who think they might be victims of the tax credit fraud. Silicon.com's Will Sturgeon reported from London. For more coverage from Silicon.com, click here.
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