HMRC issues vital warning after scams dupe Britons out of thousands

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HMRC, formally known as HM Revenue and Customs, is responsible for the collection of tax within the UK. Its website states: “We help the honest majority to get their tax right and make it hard for the dishonest minority to cheat the system.” As such, millions of people interact with the government department regularly, whether this is to do with work, certain benefits and credits, or any other administration.

However, it has been found fraudsters have used the official HMRC name in attempts to cheat Britons out of thousands of pounds.

A number of scams have been reported centring around tax, which is important for Britons to keep aware of.

The first scam reported involves an automated phone call from scammers.

The fraudsters leave threatening messages on answering machines, informing Britons HMRC is filing a lawsuit against them.

They are then informed there has been tax fraud associated with their name.

Many have been threatened with arrest if they do not press 1 to speak with an operator to make a payment.

But HMRC has confirmed via Twitter that this is a scam, saying: “We would never call you without verifying our identity or leave a threatening message.”

This scam appears to be persuading Britons into handing over valuable personal information which could then be used against them.

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However, yet another scam has been reported which could prove dangerous for Britons who fall victim.

There have been reports of people receiving both email and text correspondence informing them they are entitled to a tax refund.

One such message read: “Our annual calculations related to your activity determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of GBP755.80.

“In order to complete your Tax Refund, we require one proof of identity and one proof or address.”

Britons are then asked to provide a coloured copy of their passport and a utility bill or bank statement.

This particular scam appears to be capitalising upon the need for financial support as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

However, Action Fraud, the official fraud reporting service in the UK, has stepped in to confirm this is scam correspondence, warning: “Don’t click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails and never respond to messages that ask for your personal or financial details, including requests to send images that prove your identity.”

HMRC will never text, email or phone Britons to ask for bank details or passwords, so this is a key warning sign of a scam.

But Britons should be particularly careful, as thousands have already been lost to such scams.

According to the Hillingdon Times, in Hertfordshire alone, unsuspecting victims were scammed out of close to £20,000 in the last two weeks, when told they had outstanding debts or unpaid taxes in their names.

The victims were asked to make bank transfers as payment, only realising they had fallen prey to a scam when it was too late.

However, those who believe they have experienced a scam, or seen one, are encouraged to report this issue to Action Fraud either online or via telephone.

An HMRC spokesperson told Express.co.uk: “Criminals text, email or phone taxpayers offering spurious financial support or tax refunds, sometimes threatening them with arrest if they don’t immediately pay the fictitious tax owed.

“Several of the scams mimic government messages as a way of appearing authentic and unthreatening. HMRC is a well-known brand, which criminals abuse to add credibility to their scams.

“If someone calls, emails or texts claiming to be from HMRC, saying that you can claim financial help, are owed a tax refund, or owe tax, and asks for bank details, it might be a scam. Check gov.uk for information on how to recognise genuine HMRC contact.”

The Revenue states that since March, 123 COVID-related financial scams have been detected, and internet service providers have been asked to take down more than 137 web pages associated with such fraud.

Over the last year, HMRC reported 1,742 phone numbers being used in tax-related phone scams and responded to more than 203,000 reports from the public of phone scams – an increase of 95 percent on the previous year.

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