Those involved in criminal activity continue to evolve and adapt to the methods put in place to catch them. That’s why we regularly give you updates about the latest in HMRC scams – they are constantly changing. Unfortunately, they also continue to be successful for the criminals and devastating for defrauded taxpayers.
HMRC report that they received 84,549 submissions to them about fake tax refund messages, just in March of 2018. The size of this problem is enormous and it is up to each of us to protect our information and money as strongly as possible. The main weapons against such scams are accurate information and a healthy dose of scepticism towards ‘official’ communications.
What is the most recent HMRC scam?
We can certainly help with the first. The most recent scam involves a phone message claiming that it is from the “UK police,” that you are being investigated by HMRC and your house is under surveillance. Frightening. And the fear factor is what prompts people to respond and end up losing their hard earned cash to criminals.
This usually takes the form of an automated message, giving you a number to call or to “press 1” to pay or sort out this serious situation. Sometimes the threat level increases, “if you ignore this call and don’t call back”. Once you make contact with them, they demand your bank details in order to make an immediate payment of the imaginary back tax that they are claiming you owe.
Other HMRC scams to avoid
419 scams
These types of scams are emails that say there are from HMRC and that you have inheritance money, lottery winnings or items stuck at customs. They ask you to pay for something, like the item’s release, or for your financial details so that they can pay you. Using HMRC logos, names of real employees and other legitimate details on the emails is only done to make people believe they are real.
Social media messages
These are simply social media messages telling people that they are due a tax refund. The main giveaway is that they are not from an official HMRC social media account. But also bear in mind that you will not be informed of a real tax message by social media messaging and they will never ask for any private details on social media platforms.
Email scams
771,227 taxpayers reported HMRC email scams in the 2017-18 tax year – and that’s just the number of who took the extra step of informing the authorities. Imagine how many were actually sent. These work on people because it’s a good news email. Who doesn’t want some tax rebate money back in their account? Also, many taxpayers have submitted tax refund or tax rebate claims and are waiting for payments. The scammers use the Tax Office’s calendar against them and send these types of emails around the time people are expecting to hear about their legitimate claims. But this is easy to avoid because they are all fake. HMRC never tell a taxpayer about a successful tax rebate or tax refund claim by email. They never ask for any bank details or personal information by email either. Never click on any links to other websites and never download any PDF attachments. Report it and delete it.
Fake ‘we’ll get you the biggest tax refund’ companies
These companies have websites that focus on getting their customers the largest tax rebate claim possible. They may also imply that they are in some way endorsed by HMRC. They say they make money by charging you a fee for sending your claim. Fake companies like this bring our whole industry into disrepute.
It is perfectly legitimate to get support with a tax refund or rebate claim from a real tax professional. But an actual company will be looking to help people become tax efficient. That means that we make sure you pay your full tax liability, but also identify all the refunds or rebates you may be entitled to. It is not about ‘getting the biggest rebate possible’. It’s about ensuring that your tax position is correct.
HMRC does not endorse any of these companies. We all work with HMRC as part of our everyday job, but they are a separate government department without any professional links to any tax refund company.
Both of these claims in a company’s advertising should ring alarm bells. Check they employ qualified tax and accountancy professionals and see if they can provide independent reviews, before you hire them to act on your behalf.
Remember, HMRC consider that you have the ultimate responsibility for your tax affairs, even if you’ve left it to a professional. And these criminals are not above using your details to submit totally fake claims (leaving you liable for the fines). Don’t believe the hype and check credentials.
Scam text messages
Text messages that pretend to be from HMRC contain the same kind of scam as the emails – they need your details to process the tax rebate you are owed. Again, HMRC do sometimes communicate by text message, but they never request any personal or bank details in a text. Just don’t reply. It is definitely a scam. Don’t open any links, forward it to 60599 (HMRC) and delete it.
How can I keep myself safe from the scammers?
There is a lot of advice about staying safe from internet and phone scammers, mainly because the number of people falling victim to such crimes is on the rise. Get Safe Online is an organisation that has up-to-date information about staying safe online. It is divided into Personal and Business sections so everything is easily accessible. We like it because it is written in plain English with explanations of necessary technical terms as you go along. Even if you feel you’re well protected online, it’s worth having a look just to check you’ve covered everything. “Get Safe Online is a public/private sector partnership supported by HM Government and leading organisations in banking, retail, internet security and other sectors.”
TRS Scam avoidance basics
- Think before you click. The faster pace of 21st century communication encourages us to respond instantly and without thinking. But our individual responsibility for our private information means that we really need to pause and think before clicking on something we’ve assumed is legitimate.
- Logos don’t mean it’s real. Fraudsters are good at what they do. They will copy the real HMRC logo, use the names of real employees, add in real addresses and phone numbers – they know what the real ones look like. But it doesn’t mean that it’s from a real social media account or email address. It’s up to you to check.
- Non-personalised greetings, like Dear Sir/Madam, often indicate a fake letter or email. If your name and/or UTR is not included in the communication, you need to be suspicious.
- Do not open any messages, attachments or links if you haven’t verified the sender is HMRC. It will not help you to clarify the situation, it leaves you vulnerable to phishing websites and malware attacks.
- Report it – even if you don’t lose any money. You can forward fake texts to HMRC at 60599. Emails should be sent to [email protected] and Action Fraud. If the worst has happened and you have been a victim of HMRC fraud, then you need to make a report to the police through Action Fraud’s website.
HMRC will not punish you for questioning legitimate communication from them. They don’t want to see taxpayers conned out of money either. If you aren’t sure about any calls, messages or emails from HMRC, then phone one of their legitimate numbers to check it out before you share any personal information. If HMRC really are trying to get in touch with you, you’ll get put through to the right department without any black mark against you for questioning them.
Whenever you receive anything from HMRC, or any official looking organisation, always think before you click.
