HMRC has issued an urgent warning to Britons over a devious trick used by cyber attackers, urging “don’t click on any links”. In a post on X on Wednesday, the UK tax authority said it is “receiving increased reports of customers being contacted by scammers claiming they are due a tax refund”.
Britons may be able to get a tax refund (rebate) if they’ve paid too much tax. This can happen for various reasons, including leaving the UK during the tax year or being listed under the wrong tax code. Tax advice charity TaxAid explains: “After the tax year ends, HMRC will usually work out that you’ve paid too much and contact you about a refund,” something which can take a few months.
However, if you’ve overpaid and haven’t been contacted, you may need to reach out to the tax authority directly.
The prospect of getting some of your hard-earned cash back is obviously pretty appealing, which unfortunately makes it a target for heartless scammers.
In a bid to obtain your bank details, they may contact you and encourage you to click a link to claim your money back.
Some scammers have even created convincing replicas of official websites to harvest your personal information and drain your bank account.
HMRC urged people to be vigilant, writing: “Always take the time to stop and think if the request is genuine before sharing personal information or clicking on any links.
“If you’re unsure, don’t click on any links and report it to us,” the Government department added.
“To find out if you are due a tax refund, you can log into your HMRC online services account on GOV UK or the HMRC app.
It provided a link to guidance on identifying tax scam phone calls, emails and text messages.
You can send any suspicious text messages to 60599 (network charges apply) or email phishing@hmrc.gov.uk to help authorities keep track of new threats and prevent others from being targeted by them.
HMRC also advises blocking the sender and deleting the message.