Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs has issued a scam warning to the millions of people who are yet to file their self-assessment tax return.
It urged people to be vigilant when receiving communications that appeared to be from HMRC, as criminals were using fake websites and text messages to steal personal information.
In total, HMRC expects 12.1million tax returns to be filed this year, with around 55 per cent of these having already done so as of 29 December.
HMRC urged people who had not yet filed their self-assessment return to be aware of scams
This left around 5.4million taxpayers with less than a month to complete their tax return by the 31 January deadline.
HMRC warned those who were yet to do so to be on the look out for copycat websites and phishing scams.
It said people needed to be alert to phone calls, emails or texts claiming to be from HMRC, offering a refund, tax rebate or grant – as these might be a scam.
One such phishing email tells customers they can claim a tax refund to help protect themselves from the coronavirus outbreak.
HMRC warned people not to reply to the email and not to open any links in the message.
There have also been reports of text messages claiming to be from HMRC offering people a tax refund in exchange for personal or financial details.
Image showing an example of a scam email which is asking the user to click on hyperlinks to get a refund. The email has been issued in various formats. This is just an example of the scam.
HMRC said it would never ask for personal or financial information when sending text messages.
In lighter news, HMRC has also revealed that 2700 UK taxpayers chose Christmas Day to file their self-assessment tax return.
The peak time for completing tax returns occurred between 2pm and 3pm when over 200 taxpayers pressed send on their online form – just in time for the Queen’s speech no doubt.
Image showing an example of a scam HM gov mobile text message which is trying to get the user to click on a hyperlink and enter personal details.
‘Online self assessment means customers can do their tax returns at any time, day or night – even on Christmas Day if they want to,’ said Karl Khan HMRC’s Interim director general for customer services.
Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day were busier, with 20,200 tax returns filed on Christmas Eve, 8,500 on Boxing Day and almost 18,000 on New Year’s Day.
‘The festive period is a good time to do this chore, particularly as this Christmas will have been quieter than usual for many people due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place,’ said Kevin Sefton of the personal tax app, Untied.
On Christmas Day, 2,700 people in the UK spent time filing their tax return to HMRC
‘Whilst we don’t suggest that Christmas Day should be set aside for tax purposes, we do applaud anyone that does their taxes in advance, avoiding the last minute panic that so often happens at the end of January.’
‘It needs to be done, so why delay the inevitable?’
