Beware - Fraudulent Companies House Communications!

1 week, 4 days ago by Oliver Atkinson

A range of scams have recently come to the fore where scammers claiming to be Companies House will contact registered entities to solicit money from them or gain access to their webfiling account.

The communications in question may be sent via email, post or over a telephone call, often using the Companies House branding in order to fool the recipient and thus may be quite difficult to spot. There are many tactics used, from insinuating that a company has a penalty for a late filing and may be struck off if funds are not transferred, to emailing phishing links to steal your authentication code.

Details of some of the more common scams are below:

By Telephone

Companies House will never contact you over the phone for the following:

• To pay late filing penalties (including requests of nominal payment to hold any action)
• Company authentication codes
• Details of company officers – whether to update or correct them.

If you receive a telephone call that matches any of the above, then it is almost certainly a scam and you should not provide anyone with these details over the phone.

By Email

Email scams are the most varied but can also be easily spotted by looking for key details. Any official emails received by Companies House will come from an address ending in @companieshouse.gov.uk - scammers will often use an address close to, but not matching this address.

Often these emails will contain phishing links to attempt to fool the user into downloading a document or application, or sometimes a link will take you to a fake login page in order to steal your password. Other reported scams include insinuating that you have an investigation or a complaint. If you cannot verify that the email has come from Companies House, then you should never click any links in an email received or reply to the email with any information.

By Post

Postal scams can often look the most official but remember that your organisation’s registered office and the names of its officers are public information, so don’t be fooled if a letter is addressed to you directly. They will usually have the official Companies House branding and the same format as an actual letter and as such will look very convincing.

However, the information in the letter will be key to identifying whether it is a legitimate communication. Nearly all postal scams involve requests for payment. This may be in the form of a letter referencing a ‘payment code’ (sometimes containing a QR code that you should not scan), or in some cases may be an invoice or a letter purporting to be from a solicitor asking for penalty fees. If you receive a letter asking you for money, it is likely suspect, and you should not contact the sender.

What should I do if I suspect a scam?

If you suspect a scam there are several steps you can take:

1. Do not provide any information to the suspected scammer or make further contact with them.

2. Contact your accountant or agent and tell them you believe you have been contacted by a scammer if you are unsure. In many cases, your accountant will be able to confirm any information and will know the procedures by which Companies House operates.

3. Contact Companies House to report the scam. Depending on what sort of scam this is there are several methods as below:

• By Telephone - Companies House recommends asking the scammer for a return telephone number, and then contacting Companies House on 0303 1234 500 to report the scam.
• By Email – forward any suspect emails received to phishing@companieshouse.gov.uk.
• By Post – call Companies House on 0303 1234 500

Further details and examples of fraudulent communications can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/reporting-scams-pretending-to-be-from-companies-house.

For further information and support, please contact us.