The number of officially reported HMRC-branded phishing scams jumped from 572,029 in 2019-2020 to 1,069,522 in 2020-2021. This 87% surge is thought to have occurred due to the covid-19 pandemic.

The statistics obtained by Lanop Outsourcing, an accountancy firm, in a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, reveal that the majority of scams addressed by HMRC related to tax rebates or refunds, which were up 90% in 2020-1 compared to 2019-20, from 363,118 to 690,522. Much of this rise will be attributable to criminals trying to take advantage of millions of people plunged into financial insecurity during the covid-19 pandemic.