Approximately 12 million people are expected to submit a self-assessment tax return for the 2022 to 2023 tax year before the deadline on 31 January 2024, leaving the door open for scammers.
After receiving reports of more than 130,000 tax scams between September 2022 and September 2023 – 58,000 of which were offering fake tax rebates – HMRC is warning customers to be cautious.
Fraudsters are expected to prey on customers by impersonating HMRC through a variety of methods, for example they could offer a fake rebate, inform customers they need to update their tax details or even threaten arrest for tax evasion.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s director general for customer services, said:
“HMRC is reminding customers to be wary of approaches by fraudsters in the run up to the self-assessment deadline. Criminals are great pretenders who try and dupe people by sending emails, phone calls and texts which mimic government messages to make them appear authentic.
“Unexpected contacts like these should set alarm bells ringing, so take your time and check HMRC scams advice on GOV.UK.”
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