HMRC Text Scams
23 April 2019
We have been alerted to a text scam where fraudsters are posing as HMRC and sending texts alerting you of a tax refund. The bogus texts encourage people to provide their bank details to enable them to receive a tax refund of a few hundred pounds.
Young adults who are unfamiliar with the tax system are prime targets for fraudsters tempting them with bogus refunds via text message, warn HMRC officials.
HMRC takes security very seriously and this is a further reminder that you need to be alert. Under no circumstances should you disclose your personal details or text them back.
A reminder that:
You will never get an email, text message or phone call from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which:
- Tells you about a tax rebate or penalty
- Asks for your personal or payment information
Always check HMRC’s guidance on recognising scams if you’re not sure.
You can report something suspicious to HMRC’s phishing team, for example:
- A text message (forward it to 60599 - you’ll be charged at your network rate)
- An email
- Details of a phone call asking for personal information or threatening a lawsuit
If you do receive a suspicious phone call, you can help HMRC’s investigations by providing HMRC phishing team - ([email protected]) with:
- The caller’s phone number
- The date of the call
- A brief description of the call
To learn more about dealing with phishing and scams visit GOV.UK. You can also refer to HMRC security advice.