HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are warning self-assessment customers to remain vigilant over scam texts, emails and phone calls from fraudsters as of February 2025, they reported a significant increase in scam activities targeting taxpayers. Between November 2023 and October 2024, HMRC received 144,298 scam referrals, marking a 16.7% rise from the previous 12-month period.
The scams will take different approaches often offering tax rebate or asking customers to update their details and even threatening arrest for tax evasion.
Be aware! Criminals are becoming ever more sophisticated and will try to dupe people by sending emails, initiating phone calls and texts to mimic Government messages to make them appear authentic, any unexpected contact should ring alarm bells and we would advise you to take five minutes and check HMRC scams advice before taking any action.
Customers can report any suspicious communications to HMRC:
- forward suspicious texts claiming to be from HMRC to 60599
- forward emails to [email protected].
- report tax scam phone calls to HMRC on GOV.UK.
By keeping vigilant you can reduce the risk of you or your business falling victim to online crime. For further guidance drop us an email on [email protected].
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The NEBRC is an independent, police-led not-for-profit organisation that seeks to educate, inform, and support businesses in the North East, Yorkshire and The Humber regions on how to protect themselves from online crime and fraud through good cyber security practices.