Those who claim tax credits are being warned of scams and fraudsters imitating HMRC as around 2.1 million people are expected to renew their annual claims next month.
HMRC says that it has responded to nearly 277,000 referrals of suspicious contact received from the public in the 12 months to April 2022.
Typical scams include phone calls threatening arrest if people don’t immediately pay fictitious tax owed, sometimes they claim that the victim’s National Insurance number has been used fraudulently; and they’ll send emails or texts offering false tax rebates and Covid-19 grants, or claim that a direct debit payment has failed.
It’s important to be aware that HMRC will never charge tax credits customers to renew their annual claims.
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Email JaimeMyrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said, “We’re urging all of our customers to be really careful if they are contacted out of the blue by someone asking for money or bank details.
“There are a lot of scams out there where fraudsters are calling, texting or emailing customers claiming to be from HMRC. If you have any doubts, we suggest you don’t reply directly and contact us straight away. Search GOV.UK for our ‘scams checklist’ and to find out ‘how to report tax scams’.”
HMRC is also urging people to be alert to misleading websites or adverts designed to make them pay for government services that should be free, often charging for a connection to HMRC phone helplines.
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