HMRC has advised people to ‘be on their watch’ and cautious in the face of tax-related frauds while submitting their 2020/21 tax returns.
HMRC claimed that around 800,000 tax schemes were recorded in the previous year. Self-assessment is used by scammers to steal money or personal information from taxpayers, according to the report.
HMRC received about 360,000 fake tax refund referrals in the previous year. HMRC will send over four million emails and SMS messages to self-assessment taxpayers this week, encouraging them to consider how they will pay their tax due.
It is urging taxpayers not to be fooled by fraudulent emails, phone calls, or texts, and not to confuse them with real HMRC correspondence.
HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, Myrtle Lloyd, said:
‘Scams come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Others offer a tax refund while others warn swift jail for tax cheating. Contacts like these should set alarm bells ringing, so if you are in any doubt whether the email, phone call or text is genuine, you can check the ‘HMRC scams’ advice on GOV. The UK and find out how to report them to us.
