According to HMRC, reports of scam HMRC phone calls have fallen by 97 percent. After peaking at 79,477 in March 2021, the number of reported scammers impersonating HMRC in phone calls fell to just 2,491 in December 2021. Despite the fall, taxpayers should still be on alert for scams which can come in many forms.
In the last year, HMRC has responded to 670,793 referrals of suspicious contact from the public, with 283,157 of these cases offering bogus tax rebates. Others threaten arrest for tax evasion or offer fake financial support.
As part of HMRC’s action to combat voice scams, the department has set up a direct referral route on GOV.UK where people can report HMRC-related attempted phishing.
Information on how to recognise genuine HMRC contact and how to avoid scams can be found on www.gov.uk. Taxpayers can forward suspicious texts claiming to be from HMRC to 60599 and emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and can report tax scam phone calls.
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