As HMRC’s January 31st Self Assessment deadline approaches, scammers are ramping up efforts to target unsuspecting taxpayers. With a reported 145,000 scam attempts there has been a 16.7% rise since last year and HMRC is urging taxpayers to stay vigilant. In this article, we’ll highlight a few of the strategies scammers use and how you can be more vigilant:
Recognising fake tax refund offers
Scammers often try to incentivise you with the promise of money, by posing as HMRC and offering fake tax refunds. This scam usually involves fake messages promising quick payouts which require you to provide them with personal and financial details. The best way to steer clear of these is to remember that HMRC will never send you unsolicited emails, texts or make calls offering refunds. If you do think you are due a refund it’s best to log in to your HMRC account.
Avoiding threatening demands for payment
A scam often resort to fear tactics, claiming that you owe unpaid taxes. They do this with threatening voicemails or messages warning of legal action unless you pay immediately.
HMRC has clarified that they don’t make demands over the phone or leave threatening messages. If you receive one of these calls, it’s best to hang up and report it.
Protecting yourself from malware and phishing attacks
Links or attachments in emails or texts can lead to malware infections or personal data breaches so be cautious with unsolicited messages, and never download attachments or follow links unless you are sure they are legitimately from HMRC. The official communications will never include links and will only guide you to log in to your account through their secure website.
How to handle suspected scams
HMRC does have some methods in place to counteract these scammers, there is a way of reporting each of these various scam attempts; Firstly if you receive a suspicious email you can forward them to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk, if you receive a fraudulent call you can report these to HMRC through their website gov.uk and lastly if you receive a scam text you can forward it to 60599.
‘Stop! Think Fraud’
The Government’s ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ campaign, aims to raise awareness and reduce scam risks. By staying vigilant and following HMRC’s guidance, you can safeguard yourself and help others avoid falling victim to these schemes.
If you are worried about fulfilling your tax obligations before the deadline this year and need someone you can trust to do a thorough expertly handled return then PayStream can help, register here, email tax@paystream.co.uk or call 0161 929 6000 (option 3).
