Scam warning for self-assessment taxpayers

People who are starting to think about their annual tax returns for 2021/22 are being warned to watch out for scammers offering them a cash windfall or making threats.

Fraudsters purporting to work for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) may try to con people out of their money or personal information by offering fake tax rebates or threatening to make an arrest over “unpaid tax”.

The deadline for filing paper tax returns for the 2021 to 2022 tax year is October 31 2022, and for online returns it is January 31 next year.

Fraudsters may target customers at times when they know they are more likely to be in contact with HMRC, the revenue body said, which is why self-assessment customers need to take particular care.

In the 12 months to August 2022, HMRC responded to more than 180,000 referrals of suspect contact from the public, of which nearly 81,000 were scams offering fake tax rebates.

Criminals claiming to be from HMRC may target people by email, text and phone.

Some people who have not had experience of doing a self-assessment return previously might be particularly vulnerable to being tricked into clicking on links in emails or texts and revealing their personal or financial information to criminals.

Customers can report suspect activity to HMRC. They can forward suspect texts claiming to be from HMRC to 60599 and scam emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk. Any tax scam phone calls can be reported to HMRC, using the online form on gov.uk.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s director general for customer services, said: “Never let yourself be rushed. If someone contacts you saying they’re from HMRC, wanting you to urgently transfer money or give personal information, be on your guard.

“HMRC will never ring up threatening arrest. Only criminals do that.

“Tax scams come in many forms. Some threaten immediate arrest for tax evasion, others offer a rebate. Contacts like these should set alarm bells ringing, so take your time and check ‘HMRC scams advice’ on gov.uk.”