Taxpayers on alert after 17% rise in scam reports to HMRC
Self assessment taxpayers are being urged to be wary of bogus tax rebate approaches after HMRC reported a 17% rise in scam reports.
The tax authority revealed that taxpayers had reported more than 144,000 scam referrals in the past year, up from 124,000 the previous year.
Around half of all scam reports in the last year related to fake tax rebate claims. Other reports included bogus demands for the payment of tax in order to get hold of personal information and banking details.
Dawn Register, a tax dispute resolution partner at BDO said: “As we approach the 31 January deadline for people to complete their Self Assessment tax return, we are likely to see an uptick in attempts by scammers to target unwary taxpayers.
“HMRC has been clear that it will never leave voicemails threatening legal action, or ask for personal or financial information via text message. If you receive any such text messages or voicemails, it always pays to be sceptical.
“The way we interact with HMRC has evolved considerably in recent years. Indeed, we will be more reliant than ever on digital channels when Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment comes on stream for landlords and sole traders from April 2026.
“Throughout the transition to this new system, HMRC will need to ensure that its systems are completely secure and opportunities for scammers are severely constrained.”
