As the 31 January self assessment tax deadline approaches, Brits are being urged not to fall for phishing emails, calls or texts that purport to come from the UK tax body HMRC.
A large number of scam texts, emails and phishing calls have been doing the rounds, claiming to be from HMRC. The fake messages claim that the recipient either owes money, is owed a refund from HMRC or needs to update their details. The messages invite recipients to click a link with the aim of extracting their personal information in order to steal money.
According to research by NatWest, fake emails, calls or texts which claim to be from legitimate organisations are the most common type of scam in the UK. The next most common are "trusted organisation scams" - 21% of Brits were targeted by a criminal impersonating a trusted organisation like HMRC in 2023.
According to Takepayments, HMRC has already received more than 130,000 scam reports this year and efforts from scammers are only set to escalate as the tax return deadline draws near, especially fake messages about tax refunds.
Takepayments offers this advice to avoid being scammed:
- Always treat unexpected text messages about finance as suspicious, especially if the language encourages urgency. Although HMRC does use text communication, it will never request payment details by text or email. Never send money via bank transfer or PayPal to unknown sources.
- Scammers often use broken English or make grammatical mistakes within their texts. This could be a giveaway that a message or email isn't legitimate.
- Trusted bodies like HMRC won't usually send official communication from a mobile number. Always check the number the message has come from; if in doubt, use a phone number look-up service online. If the number begins with 07 or is withheld, treat it as suspicious. The number "60263" has been closely linked to fraudsters impersonating HMRC.
- Some fraudsters are using AI to produce automated calls, warning about tax evasion. Scammers often use background sounds to give the impression they are calling from a call centre. However, if these sounds seem looped, overly consistent or don't match the context of the call, they could be artificial.
If you think a message seems suspicious, contact HMRC directly; do not reply to the text or email itself. You can help fight fraud by reporting suspicious emails to HMRC using [email protected].
Have you filed your tax return yet?
With only one week to go until the 31 January self assessment deadline, HMRC reports that 3.8 million people have yet to file their tax return.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC's director general for customer services, said: "If you are a self assessment taxpayer, now is the time to take action and get your return done. Once a tax return is submitted, it's easy to find out what's owed and to pay online or using the HMRC app."
The penalties for late tax returns include an initial £100 fixed penalty, which applies even if there is no tax to pay, or even if the tax due is paid on time. Anyone unable to pay in full (that owes less than £30,000) may be able to set up a Time to Pay arrangement online.
Anyone who thinks they no longer need to complete a tax return for the 2022 to 2023 tax year should tell HMRC before the deadline on 31 January 2024 so that they can issue a withdrawal notice.
Written by Rachel Miller.
