Fraudsters use fake Companies House letters to target directors

The fake letters have been designed to look like genuine correspondence, in which the recipient is asked for a payment of £48 to access Companies House enhanced web filing. 

The fraudulent letter stresses that the matter is “time sensitive” and not meeting the seven-day deadline “will regrettably result in the suspension of your web filing benefits”. 

The urgent deadline in the letter is designed to panic the reader into acting before they have a chance to think about whether the letter is real. 

Companies House stated: “We’ve had reports of suspicious letters claiming to be from Companies House. The letter claims you need to make payment for enhanced web filing access. Please do not follow any instructions in this letter. It’s a scam.” 

When receiving communication by post, email, telephone or any other means it’s crucial to be vigilant to protect yourself and your business. You can often identify a fake letter by looking for spelling mistakes or links that do not take you to where you’re expecting. 

Companies House has guidance about how to report scams pretending to be Companies House. 

For more information on protecting yourself from tax scams check out our article here. 

Date published 24 May 2024

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