Santander have sent urgent warnings to customers following a rise in HMRC scams which resulted in one woman losing £849.
Fraudsters have been pretending to be the Government to con people into transferring money into different accounts.
Through email, text, phone call and even WhatsApp, scammers have been impersonating the Government to earn trust with their victims before gaining sensitive details and money.
By pretending to be HMRC, people are told they owe money or are due a tax rebate and that personal details are required.
However, people have already been a victim of this crime and Santander warned their customers to be vigilant.
Chris Ainsley, head of fraud control at Santander UK, said: "By taking on the persona of the HMRC, criminals are trying to intimidate their victims by impersonating an institution that most of us recognise and trust.
"With the February extension to the self-assessment deadline fast approaching, we expect to see a significant increase in HMRC scams over the coming weeks.
"Don’t let criminals get away with it. Always check with HMRC directly before acting."
The bank gave an example of a woman, known only as Miss B, who lost £849 due to one of these scams.
She received a call from an unknown number but went online to see that it belonged to the local courthouse.
Miss B then received a second call from the same number, who said they were urgently chasing an outstanding debt of £849 from HMRC or risk arrest.
She followed the fraudster's instructions and made the payment, but Miss B then received a WhatsApp message from the same number asking for er passport and driving licence details to finalise the payment.
Bank details were then requested which caused concern for Miss B and she contacted Santander, who told her that she had been a victim of fraud.
The bank stresses that Government or HMRC will not ask to transfer money from one account to another or share personal information with anyone.
If someone believes they could be a victim of a scam, they should call 159 or the number on the back of their bank card.
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