Romanian police conducted 21 searches on Thursday, November 12, in the counties of Argeș, Dolj, Ilfov, Dâmbovița, Bihor, and Vaslui, targeting the offices of companies and the homes of individuals suspected of remotely accessing the online platform of the UK’s tax authority without authorisation.
The searches aimed to identify and seize evidence needed to document the criminal activity, establish the involvement of the individuals under investigation, and identify assets for the recovery of the damage. At the same time, checks were being carried out to identify assets and property of value that could be subject to precautionary measures to recover the damage.
The suspects allegedly submitted fraudulent VAT refund claims on behalf of UK companies by changing the bank account details into which the requested amounts were to be transferred. The damage caused exceeded GBP 1.7 million.
The criminal case concerns continued illegal access to a computer system, computer fraud, and money laundering. The investigation was conducted within a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) established between the judicial authorities of Romania and the United Kingdom, with the support of EUROJUST, and also involved 20 British investigation officers.
According to the prosecutors, between January 12, 2024, and February 18, 2026, several Romanian citizens acted in a coordinated manner, remotely accessing the online platform of the British tax authority HMRC without authorisation. The platform is secured by a password and multi-factor authentication. They submitted fraudulent VAT refund claims on behalf of UK companies by changing the bank account details into which the requested amounts were to be transferred, with the aim of obtaining undue material benefits.
“Specifically, 89 fraudulent VAT refund claims were submitted, of which 30 were approved and paid, causing actual damage amounting to GBP 1.6 million, while another 59 claims, with a total value of GBP 1.4 million, were not paid and remained at the attempted stage,” the prosecutors stated in a press release.
At the same time, three income tax refund claims were submitted on behalf of an individual taxpayer, amounting to a total of GBP 16,400, by providing a bank account belonging to one of the individuals involved. These claims were not paid. Further claims followed.
According to prosecutors, several bank account details were provided to carry out the criminal activity and were subsequently entered into the refund claims so that the amounts requested from the British tax authority would be directed into accounts controlled by the individuals involved.
“Overall, the criminal activity described targeted the fraudulent acquisition of funds from the United Kingdom’s budget through unauthorised access to HMRC’s computer systems and the modification of bank details associated with refund claims. The actual damage caused by the fraudulent refunds that were paid amounts to GBP 1.7 million. Other refund claims, with a total value of GBP 1.73 million, were not paid, with the related offences remaining at the attempted stage,” the prosecutors stated.
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