Scammers are targeting self-assessment taxpayers according to figures showing that 570,000 incidents were reported in the last year.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging customers to be on their guard following the self-assessment deadline. At this time of year, self-assessment customers are at increased risk of falling victim to scams, even if they don’t mention self-assessment.
People can be taken in by scam texts, emails or calls either offering a refund or demanding unpaid tax, thinking that they are genuine HMRC communications referring to their tax return. In the 12 months to January 2022, nearly 220,000 scams reported to HMRC offered bogus tax rebates.
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The criminals will target unsuspecting customers to try and steal money or personal information often by imitating government messages to appear authentic. In January 2022, phone scams rose to 3,995 compared to 425 reported in April 2020.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: "If someone contacts you saying they’re from HMRC, wanting you to transfer money or give personal information, be on your guard. Never let yourself be rushed, and if you’re in any doubt then check our ‘HMRC scams’ advice on GOV.UK."
Customers were given an extra month to submit a completed tax return and if filed by February 28, 2022, they would avoid a late filing penalty. HMRC has a dedicated team working on cyber and phone crimes using innovative technologies to prevent misleading and malicious communications from ever reaching the customer.
HMRC is also reminding Self Assessment customers to double check websites and online forms before using them to complete their 2020 to 2021 tax return. People can be taken in by misleading websites designed to make them pay for help in submitting tax returns or charging to connect them to HMRC phone lines. Customers who are in any doubt about whether a website is genuine should visit GOV.UK for more information.
