People who are starting to think about their annual tax returns for 2021/22 are being warned to watch out for scammers offering them a cash windfall or making threats. Fraudsters purporting to work for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) may try to con people out of their money or personal information by offering fake tax rebates or threatening to make an arrest over "unpaid tax".
The deadline for filing paper tax returns for the 2021 to 2022 tax year is October 31 2022, and for online returns it is January 31 next year. Fraudsters may target customers at times when they know they are more likely to be in contact with HMRC, the revenue body said, which is why Self Assessment customers need to be vigilant.
Criminals claiming to be from HMRC may target people by email, text and phone. In the 12 months to August 2022, HMRC responded to more than 180,000 referrals of suspect contact from the public, of which nearly 81,000 were scams offering fake tax rebates.
Some people who have not had experience of doing a Self Assessment return previously may be particularly vulnerable to being tricked into clicking on links in emails or texts and revealing their personal or financial information to criminals.
How to report suspected fraud
Customers can report suspect activity to HMRC by:
- Forwarding suspect texts claiming to be from HMRC to 60599
- Forwarding scam emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk - any tax scam phone calls can be reported to HMRC, using the online form on GOV.UK.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC's director general for customer services, said: "Never let yourself be rushed. If someone contacts you saying they're from HMRC, wanting you to urgently transfer money or give personal information, be on your guard.
"HMRC will never ring up threatening arrest. Only criminals do that.
"Tax scams come in many forms. Some threaten immediate arrest for tax evasion, others offer a rebate. Contacts like these should set alarm bells ringing, so take your time."
HMRC is actively tackling the scams and fraudsters who attempt to mimic genuine HMRC activity and messages. The department’s dedicated Customer Protection Team works continuously to identify and close down scams.
HMRC also tackles misleading websites designed to make people pay for services that should be free or low cost, charging to connect people to free HMRC phone helplines.
To protect the public, HMRC formally disputes and takes ownership of HMRC-branded internet domain or website names. Since 2017, the department has recovered more than 183 websites hosting low-value services such as call-connection sites, saving the public millions of pounds.
To keep up to date with the latest HMRC news, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out three times each week - sign up here.
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