Organized Crime Phishing Took £47 Million From UK Coffers (1)

Organized crime has extracted £47 million ($64 million) from the UK government in a phishing operation, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs officials said Wednesday.

The operation, which took place last year, involved mimicking taxpayer credentials and claiming payments from HMRC, Angela MacDonald, second permanent secretary and deputy chief executive, told Parliament’s Treasury Committee. The incident wasn’t a cyberattack and no data from taxpayers was taken, she said.

“That is a lot of money and is very unacceptable,” MacDonald said.

The Treasury Committee learned of the incident during a hearing, after asking the HMRC officials about a statement released ...