Tax Credits recipients are being warned to be on their guard against scammers trying to steal their personal information or money.
HMRC has issued the alert as around 2.1 million Tax Credits customers get ready to renew their annual claims before July 31, warning of criminals who mimic Government messages to make them appear authentic. In the 12 months to last month, nearly 277,000 people contacted HMRC about suspicious contact received from the public in the form of phone calls, text messages and emails. Two examples of calls they have taken are:
- Phone calls threatening arrest if people don’t immediately pay tax owed. Sometimes the message claims that the victim’s National Insurance number has been used fraudulently. to try and dupe individuals – often trying to rush them to make decisions. HMRC will not ring anyone out of the blue threatening arrest – only criminals do that.
- Emails or texts offering tax rebates, COVID-19 grants or claiming that a direct debit payment has failed and asking for the victim's bank details.
