HMRC Scams: How to Spot and Report Fake Tax Messages

HMRC scams are prominent, and in a 10-month period leading up to 2025, HMRC received more than 135,500 reports of suspected scams.  

If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from HMRC, it is possibly a scam. HMRC typically only sends letters to individuals and businesses, especially when notifying them of any outstanding tax arrears due, and would never ask for payment over the phone or through gift cards.  

In this article, we will cover HMRC scams, common examples, how to spot them, and how to report fake tax messages.

What are HMRC Scams?

HMRC scams commonly occur when a fraudster obtains your personal information either through phishing, a data leak, online, or social media. They will then contact you in a number of ways, impersonating HMRC.  

They can contact you via email, phone, or SMS messages, and they usually use two main tactics to try and trick you:  

• Fake tax refund – fraudsters will claim you are due a tax refund from HMRC and that you need to provide your account details to receive the refund.  
• Fake tax owed threats – fraudsters will impersonate HMRC and state that you have an overdue tax bill. They will threaten and pressure you into paying the bill, claiming that if it is not paid, there may be legal consequences or police action.

Common types of HMRC scams

HMRC scam phone calls

• The fraudster will call, using the information they have about you to convince you it’s really HMRC. They’ll make reference to the fact that they’re calling from an HMRC number, but they will have just copied or spoofed that number using freely available software tricks. They will put pressure on you, threatening legal consequences or police action.  
• You can verify HMRC’s numbers from their website, and if you are ever unsure, you can hang up and call the official number from the Gov.uk page.

HMRC scam texts

• Fraudsters use SMS text messages to impersonate HMRC. They may use this as a new scam or alongside calls to make their claim seem more convincing. If you do receive a suspicious HMRC text, you can report it to 60599.

HMRC email scams (phishing)

• You’ll receive an email that appears to be from HMRC, telling you that you either owe them money or are owed a tax rebate. They will ask you to click on a link to ‘verify your details’. It is important never to click on any suspicious links, and you can report any suspicious emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk. ‍

‍HMRC letter scams

• Fraudsters may impersonate HMRC and send you a letter through the post. They will either claim that you are under investigation and make fake demands that you must comply with, or else you face police action or legal consequences. 

HMRC tax refund scams

• As mentioned above, fraudsters will claim you are due a tax refund and that you need to verify your details by providing your account information. It is important to remember that HMRC will only contact you about a tax refund through the post or through your payslip. 

HMRC VAT scams

• Fraudsters also target businesses with VAT scams, claiming you have unpaid VAT and again making fake demands that you must follow or face police action or legal consequences. 

How to Tell if a HMRC Contact is Genuine

If you have been contacted by HMRC, there are certain steps you can take to verify the genuine HMRC:

• Check the list of verified contacts on the Gov.uk website - this should not be a singular check as fraudsters can spoof numbers. If you are unsure, hang up the phone and call HMRC on a verified number.
• HMRC would never ask for personal information by text or email and this should be a major red flag
• HMRC would never threaten or pressure you into doing anything
• They would never ask for payments through gift cards
• They would never threaten instant arrest by the police

How to Report HMRC Scams 

If you’ve been targeted by a HMRC scam, then here’s how to report it:

• Report suspicious emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk
• Forward suspicious SMS text messages to 60599
• Suspicious calls and anything else to gov.uk or Report Fraud 

After reporting you should delete all emails, text or anything else you may have received. 

What To Do If You've Lost Money To A HMRC Scam

If you have already lost money to a HMRC scam, then do not panic, you have options for recovery. You should complete these actions first:

• Stop contact with the scammer immediately 
• Do not send any further payments
• Report it to your bank immediately 
• Report it to Report Fraud
• Report it to HMRC through official channels
• Explore recovery options

If you sent the money from a UK bank account then you may have options for recovery. 

If you authorised the payment, but only because you were deceived, this is classed as Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud.

Many victims are not aware that they now have a legal right for reimbursement under the PSR’s Mandatory Reimbursement Model, introduced in October 2024.

Key parts of the Mandatory Reimbursement rules:

• You made the payment after the 7th of October 2024
• Your payment was sent to another UK bank account
• Maximum refund of £85,000 per claim
• Banks can deduct an excess of £100 (doesn’t apply to vulnerable customers)
• Victims must report the scam within 13 months of the last payment
• Banks cannot delay the claim indefinitely
  

It’s a free process to claim yourself and we have written a guide here on how you can do it. 

How Refundee Can Help

You can also use an FCA regulated claims management company like Refundee to help you recover your money. 

We are specialists in investment fraud recovery and UK banking regulations, and we have recovered over £140 million for clients to date.

We work on a no win, no fee basis so you only pay a fee if you are successful.

Read about the fees we charge.

Start your free eligibility assessment here

Conclusion

If you’ve come across a suspicious message from HMRC it is always best to report it, and stay alert of new emerging tactics used by scammers to trick you into losing money or sharing details.

If you’ve already lost money, then do not panic, you have options to recover your money.

Refundee can explain the next steps on a no-win, no fee basis.

Start your free eligibility check

More about Refundee 

Here are the technical bits: 

Refundee Ltd is a claims management company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in respect of regulated claims management activity FRN: 937096. 

Registered with the Information Commissioner's Office; registration number: A8986071. 

Registered office address: Refundee, 3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE. 

Registered as a company in England & Wales; number: 12855931.