HMRC has issued an urgent alert warning people to "stop and think" following a day-long global Microsoft outage that disrupted access to Outlook, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and Copilot across more than 70 countries. The government department reported a rise in scam calls in the wake of the outage on Friday (November 13).
Scam calls impersonating Microsoft
In a post on X, HMRC said: "We've had reports of customers receiving scam calls claiming to be from Microsoft, asking for HMRC usernames and passwords. Microsoft or HMRC will never ask you to provide personal information or sign in details on a phone call, text or email."
The department urged people to "always stop and think if a request is genuine before sharing personal information," adding: "If you're unsure, don't give any information out and report it to us."
How to spot a scam
HMRC has an online checklist to help people decide if a contact is a scam. It may be a scam if it rushes you, is threatening, is unexpected, asks for personal information like bank details, tells you to transfer money, or offers a refund, tax rebate or grant.
HMRC added that it will never leave a voicemail threatening legal action or arrest, and will never use social media to offer a tax rebate or request personal or financial information.
Official guidance on texts and payments
HMRC noted: "HMRC does send text messages to some of our customers. In the text message we might include a link to GOV.UK information or to HMRC webchat. We advise you not to open any links or reply to a text message claiming to be from HMRC that offers you a tax refund in exchange for personal or financial details."
The department also said it will never ask people to pay with gift or payment vouchers, and advised: "If you cannot verify an account claiming to be HMRC, do not reply or share any information."
Microsoft confirmed the outage was caused by a technical configuration error stemming from a network capacity upgrade, ruling out a cybersecurity breach or issues related to its AI systems. The outage disrupted corporate networks and government agencies globally, with NHS staff in the UK forced to switch to paper-based records and disruption reported in the US House of Representatives.
