Does the British Inland Revenue Service exist my bank demands them issue COT Code to release fund?

THE BIRS OFFICE IS DEMANDING US$.4,000 TO ISSUE THE COT CODE WHICH IS REQUIRED BY THE BANK TO RELEASE FUND DEPOSITED IN A TRANSIT ACCOUNT TO MY DESTINATION ACCOUNT IN ISRAEL.
AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW AUTHENTIC IS THE BIRS (BRITISH INLAND REVENUE SERVICE) WHOSE EMAIL HAS BEEN GIVEN AS clearanceunit@accountant.com

sounds like a scam to me.

In the UK the tax office is known as the Inlland Revenue. Only in the USA is it known as the IRS. And it certainly would not be called the British IRS as Britain does not include Northern Ireland- it would be named the UK service.

It all adds up to a scam.

ALso any email would end xxx.gov.uk.

Additionally, the Accountant.com website is a minimal site with no real content.

Don't even contact them again.

The Inland Revenue enquiries is at this site:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/home.htm

Contact them on:

HMRC Residency (Tax matters for those not-resident in the UK)


0845 070 0040
Overseas
+44 151 210 2222


Mon 鈥?Fri 7:30am to 5pm
Closed Bank Holidays.


Answers queries regarding Income Tax / Capital Gains Tax for customers who live or work abroad.

But they will not open again until 9.00am GMT on Tuesday or Wednesday.

THANKS ALSO TO ALL THE ADDITIONAL ANSWERS THAT KEEP COMING IN AND WHO INCIDENTLY COINCIDE ACCURATELY WITH OLDBEARDS VERY COMPLETE ANSWER.
DIZZYJOE Report It

I've been a Chartered Accountant for twenty years and I've never heard of BIRS.

It's not the Inland Revenue anymore, either.

It's HM Revenue and Customs nowadays

Please don't take this the wrong way but, how old are you?Surely if you have a bank account you are old enough to realise that this is a con?Who would be sending you funds that demand a fee of $4,000? Even assuming there was any truth in this,a10% fee would mean someone wants to give you $4 million!

Sounds very much like a scam. I think that all - or most - UK government departments have an e-mail that ends "gov.uk"

Inland Revenue is now called Revenue and Customs and have an official logo.