HMRC has urged taxpayers to be particularly cautious about refund scams as the 31 January tax return deadline draws closer.

Fraudsters are targeting people with offers of tax refunds or demanding payment of tax to get hold of personal information and banking details. Around half of all scam reports (71,832) in the last year were fake tax rebate claims.

In the last year, taxpayers reported nearly 145,000 scam referrals to HMRC, which was up 16.7%. In total 144,298 scam referrals were received between November 2023 and October 2024, up from 123,596 in the previous 12-month period.

HMRC warned: ‘If someone receives communication claiming to be from HMRC that asks for their personal information or is offering a tax rebate, check the advice on gov.uk to help identify if it is scam activity.’

It is also important to note that HMRC will never leave voicemails threatening legal action or arrest, or ask for personal or financial information over text message – only fraudsters and criminals will do that.

HMRC will not contact taxpayers by email, text, or phone to notify that a refund will be paid or to recommend making a claim. Anyone who is due a refund from HMRC can claim it via their online HMRC account or the free and secure HMRC app.

Kelly Paterson, chief security officer at HMRC, said: ‘With millions of people filing their self assessment return before January’s deadline, we’re warning everyone to be wary of emails promising tax refunds.

‘Being vigilant helps you spot potential scams. And reporting anything suspicious helps us stop criminal activity and to protect you and others who could have received similar bogus communication.

‘Our advice remains unchanged. Don’t rush into anything, take your time and check “HMRC scams advice” on gov.uk.”

It is important to take a moment to think before parting with money or information, and always use strong and different passwords on all accounts so criminals are less able to hack into personal accounts.

If a phone call, text or email is suspicious or unexpected, do not give out private information or reply, and never download attachments or click on links as scammers use these to harvest data and infect computers and mobile phones with viruses or phishing attacks.

How to report scams

Any phishing attempts should be reported to HMRC by:

•            forwarding emails to [email protected]

•            reporting tax scam phone calls to HMRC on gov.uk

•            forwarding suspicious texts claiming to be from HMRC to 60599

The government launched a national campaign ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ earlier this year. Backed by organisations across law enforcement, tech, banking, telecoms and the third sector, a new website was created with advice on how to stay safe online. It can be found at www.gov.uk/stopthinkfraud