CON artists are using the names of government departments to cheat consumers out of their bank details, a new study warned yesterday.

In a range of “phishing” scams, victims are sent emails purporting to be from a Whitehall department or well-known company, according to the Which? research.

One claimed to be from HM Revenue and Customs, telling the recipient that they were due for a tax rebate.

Another said it was from Government Gateway, which is used to access government services such as tax self-assessments.

Both contained a document to download, likely to contain a virus, or a link to follow asking the person to fill in their personal details.

More sophisticated versions used the relevant logo.

Other scammers use big name brands including Amazon, BT, Apple iTunes, Paypal and TalkTalk to extract personal information.

Bank scams claim there has been unusual activity on the account of the victim, who is then told to verify their details.

If you have received a possible scam email, check with the organisation it claims to be from. If the email looks unofficial and has spelling mistakes in it, it is probably fake.

Which? advises you to check the genuine email address and compare it with the sender’s.