British tax-payers are being urged to watch out for tax refund scams as the 31 January tax return deadline draws closer.
HMRC has revealed that concerned customers reported nearly 150,000 scam referrals to HMRC in the past year. With millions of people due to complete their self assessment tax return and pay any tax owed by 31 January 2025, fraudsters are targeting people with offers of tax refunds or demanding payment of tax in order to get hold of personal information and banking details.
Around half of all scam reports (71,832) in the last year were fake tax rebate claims. There has been a 16.7% increase in all scam referrals to HMRC - 144,298 were received between November 2023 and October 2024, up from 123,596 in the previous 12-month period.
If someone receives any kind of communication claiming to be from HMRC that asks for their personal information or is offering a tax rebate, check the advice on GOV.UK to help identify if it is scam activity.
You can report any phishing attempts to HMRC by:
- Forwarding emails to [email protected].
- Reporting tax scam phone calls to HMRC on GOV.UK.
- Forwarding suspicious texts claiming to be from HMRC to 60599.
HMRC stresses that it will never leave voicemails threatening legal action or arrest, or ask for personal or financial information over text message - only fraudsters and criminals will do that.
"With millions of people filing their self assessment return before January's deadline, we're warning everyone to be wary of emails promising tax refunds. Being vigilant helps you spot potential scams. And reporting anything suspicious helps us stop criminal activity and to protect you and others who could have received similar bogus communication. Our advice remains unchanged. Don't rush into anything, take your time and check 'HMRC scams advice' on GOV.UK." Kelly Paterson, chief security officer at HMRC.
HMRC offers this advice to tax-payers:
- HMRC will not contact you by email, text or phone to announce a refund or ask you to request one.
- Anyone who is due a refund from HMRC can claim it via their online HMRC account or the free and secure HMRC app.
Written by Rachel Miller.