Tax deadlines, such as the annual January 31 deadline for filing UK self-assessment tax returns, typically cause an uptick in tax scams. This year, for example, an ad for a costly connection service disguised as the British tax authority’s phone number is appearing at the top of search engine results for the agency’s contact details.
But it’s much more common for tax fraudsters to rely on unsolicited phone calls to extract information and money from victims. Each year the UK’s HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and the US Inland Revenue Service (IRS) post warnings and updated lists of such bogus calls and phishing schemes. At any one time there are many different types of tax scammers attempting to trick unsuspecting people into handing over money to pay fake penalties and charges.
