In a post on X on Sunday, August 2, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) wrote: "SCAM ALERT! We’re receiving increased reports of customers receiving scam emails claiming they are due a Self Assessment tax refund for 2024 to 2025."
The emails "tell recipients they need to claim their refund urgently and asks them to provide personal and bank details," HMRC said. The tax authority reminded customers that it will never send an email with an urgent deadline to claim a tax refund.
How to check if a tax refund is genuine
HMRC explained that to check whether a refund is due, customers should log in securely to their HMRC online account through GOV.UK or the HMRC app. People should always stop and think about whether a request is genuine before sharing personal information, or opening any links or attachments.
"If you’re unsure, don't click on any links and report it to us," HMRC added.
Reporting suspicious texts, calls and emails
Advice on spotting and reporting scams is available on the GOV.UK website, including a list of genuine HMRC contacts. A dedicated online service allows people to report a suspicious HMRC phone call, which requires providing an email address or signing in.
Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to 60599, with standard network charges applying. HMRC said it will never send a notification of a tax rebate or ask you to disclose personal or payment information by text message, so any such message is almost certainly a devious scheme.
Suspicious emails can be forwarded to HMRC’s phishing team at phishing@hmrc.gov.uk. HMRC advises deleting the messages after passing them on to reduce the risk of clicking a dangerous link by mistake.
