HMRC warns Self Assessment taxpayers of rising scam reports

Self Assessment taxpayers are being minded to be wary of bogus tax refund offers following a rise in the number of scams and ‘suspicious contacts’ reported to HMRC.

With more than 11.5 million UK taxpayers filing a Self Assessment return and paying any tax owed ahead of the 31st January deadline, HMRC is warning they could be an attractive target for fraudsters and phishing scams.

HMRC responded to 207,800 referrals from the public of suspicious contact in the past year to January – up 14% from the 181,873 reported for the previous 12 months. More than 79,000 of those referrals offered bogus tax rebates.  Typically taxpayers are contacted by email, phone or text with the offer of a tax rebate after confirming personal information or bank details, which are then sold on to criminal organisations or used to access bank accounts.

Kelly Paterson, HMRC’s Chief Security Officer, warned: 

“With the deadline for tax returns behind us, criminals will now try to trick people with fake offers of tax rebates. 

“Scammers will attempt to dupe people by email, phone or texts that mimic government messages to make them appear authentic. 

“Don’t rush into anything, take your time and check HMRC scams advice on GOV.UK.“

HMRC will not email, text or phone a customer to tell them that they are due a refund or ask them to request a refund.?Customers receive repayments into their chosen bank account, and can see any transactions in their online HMRC account and in the HMRC app. 

Customers can help fight phishing scams by reporting any suspicious communications to HMRC: 

• forward emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk
• report tax scam phone calls to HMRC on GOV.UK
• forward suspicious texts claiming to be from HMRC to 60599

In the last year to January, HMRC also reported 26,443 malicious web pages to internet service providers to be taken down. This is a 29% increase from the 20,385 referred by HMRC for removal the previous year. These sites aim to deceive taxpayers and steal their personal information or money.  They copy the design and branding of genuine websites so criminals can trick people into giving away their personal details. This information is then used to access people’s bank accounts or sold on the web.