HMRC urges caution as fraudsters seek to hijack personal tax accounts

HMRC is warning individuals not to share their personal information online to avoid their identities being used to claim bogus Self-Assessment (“SA”) tax refunds.

HMRC is aware that criminals are attempting to obtain taxpayers’ Government Gateway logins and other personal details, enabling them to register for Income Tax SA and submit bogus tax refund claims before pocketing the repayment.

Individuals, ranging from teenagers to pensioners, are being targeted on social media platforms by fraudsters seeking to ‘borrow’ their identities. In return, the individual is promised a portion of the tax refund ‘risk-free’. Handing over sensitive personal information to criminals like this, even inadvertently, risks individuals involving themselves in tax fraud, and having to pay back the full value of the fraudulent claim.