Beware! Scammers are trying to take advantage of the self-assessment tax deadline, due in 31st January.
HMRC released a statement back in November (2020) reminding tax payers to be aware of scammers who are pretending to be HMRC in the lead up to January 31st.
With the increased communication that is passed back and forth with HMRC means scammers are more likely to intercept information about the taxpayers. It is easier for them to gain your personal and financial information.
HMRC has had more than 846,000 reports of suspicious contact from the UK public in the last year. Just over half of those were offered bogus tax rebates.
HMRC says that communication you receive could be a scam if it:
- Wasn’t expected
- Offers a refund, rebate or grant offer
- Asks for personal or financial information, such as; bank details
- Is threatening or uses intimidating words
- Demands you to transfer money
You can also remember to ‘stop, challenge and protect:
- Firstly, STOP! Before giving any information or parting with your money. Do not reply to text messages or enter any attachments in your emails that you was not expecting.
- Secondly, CHALLENGE! Challenge requests by ignoring or refusing them. Criminals will often try to rush and panic you, unlike HMRC.
- Lastly, PROTECT! Protect yourself by passing suspicious emails (claiming to be from HMRC) to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and text it to 60599. If you are worried you have been scammed (or in the process) then please get in touch with your bank provider right away and report it to action fraud.
Remember, you can always check your tax information by logging in to your personal tax account. You can also safely claim a rebate on that account, if you are owed one.
Self-assessment tax deadline is January 31st.
Does working from home change your tax? Read more here.
