HMRC scam email, call or text: is this HMRC contact genuine?

HMRC is warning small business owners to watch out for scams as the Self Assessment deadline approaches.The tax body saw nearly 150,000 reports about tax scams between November 2023 and October 2024.

You might receive an HMRC scam email, or a scammer could pretend to be HMRC over the phone or through a text message. HMRC says common tricks from scammers include offering a rebate, requesting you to update tax details, or threatening arrest for tax evasion.

HMRC has given examples of genuine messages and contact details to help you work out whether you’re being scammed. They’re more common around the Self Assessment deadline (31 January), so read on to find out how to spot fake communication.

144k

scams reported

71k

fake tax rebate claims

16%

increase from last year

Have I got an HMRC scam email?

HMRC might get in touch with you over email for lots of different reasons, including:

• to send you an annual tax summary
• to confirm your details for Making Tax Digital
• to promote the personal tax account

HMRC emails won’t ask for your personal or financial information. Here’s a list of genuine HMRC email contacts.

• annual tax summary – you might get an alert to say your tax summary is ready, which will use the subject line ‘Your Annual Tax Summary is ready’. It won’t ask you for any personal or financial details
• selling products through online marketplaces – HMRC is reminding businesses that sell goods through online marketplaces about their VAT obligations. The email will ask you to get in touch with HMRC
• employer bulletins – if you have staff and you’ve signed up to get informational bulletins from HMRC, you’ll get emails with the subject line ‘Important information for employers’
• help and support emails – HMRC sends guides to help taxpayers, sometimes with links to webinars, YouTube videos, and other digital products
• Making Tax Digital for VAT – if you’ve signed up for Making Tax Digital, HMRC will send you an email within 72 hours confirming that you can send VAT returns
• promoting the personal tax account – when you call HMRC to discuss your taxes, they might direct you to sign up for a personal tax account if you haven’t already, which helps you manage your taxes online. If you don’t want to do it over the phone, you can do it over email – HMRC will send you the necessary information
• VAT – HMRC sends a number of emails about VAT. These include debt reminders, information about VAT registration, and reminders about when VAT returns are due. As usual, they won’t ask for personal or financial information

5 ways to spot fake HMRC scams

1. Fake HMRC email address

These can be tricky to spot, as fraudsters often use addresses that look official at first glance, containing words like Revenue, HMRC, and gov.

The key to spotting whether the address is real or not is to hover over the ‘from’ address. The actual link the text leads to will not end in @hmrc.gov.uk (which all official emails from HMRC will).

Here’s an example of a fake HMRC email address sent on a letter, so it’s always good to be mindful of every type of communication from HMRC.

If you’re unsure, HMRC has compiled some examples of phishing attempts, plus how to report them.

2. Tax rebate offers

If you get an HMRC tax refund email, it’s almost certainly a scam. Emails from HMRC will never offer you any repayment, tell you about a tax rebate, or ask you to send personal information (such as an address or bank details).

3. Request for immediate action

Fraudsters will often try to scare you into complying by telling you that you need to do as they ask quickly, or face the consequences.

Emails that use phrases like ‘you only have three days to respond’ or ‘urgent action required’ are likely to be scams, so don’t fall for the scare tactics and contact HMRC if you’re unsure.

4.  Fake links and dodgy attachments

Any emails that contain links to a web page or have an attachment should be treated suspiciously. The links may go to a site that looks like the real HMRC homepage, but will ask you to input personal information so they can steal it.

Similarly, don’t open any attachments that you aren’t expecting. These could contain viruses that will give scammers a backdoor into your computer and allow them to access your personal information, as well as your clients or customers.

5. Beware generic greetings

Be wary of emails that start ‘Dear Sir/Madam’, ‘Dear customer’ or simply ‘Hello’, rather than your name, as they’re highly likely to be fraudulent. Emails from HMRC will address you by your name.

Have I got an HMRC scam letter?

Gov.uk only lists one instance of HMRC contact by letter.

Claiming repayment for Self Assessment – if you’ve claimed for a repayment, HMRC may contact you by letter to ask for more information. You need to respond to the letter as soon as you can to get your repayment quickly. HMRC says you can call 0300 200 3310 or use the income tax enquiries service to check that the letter is genuine.

Read more about genuine HMRC contact by letter.

Have I got an HMRC scam text?

As with other types of communication, HMRC won’t ask you for personal or financial information in a text. Business owners should be sure to look out for texts about:

• Self Assessment
• VAT
• PAYE
• corporation tax

If you have debts or outstanding returns due, HMRC may text you to request payment, request overdue returns, or update your personal or business address. The texts will either direct you to gov.uk or ask you to call HMRC.

HMRC might also text you about tax credits, surveys, and other claims – see the full list of text contacts here.

What other HMRC messages should I watch out for?

HMRC says that sometimes you’ll get more than one type of message from them, for example, a letter followed up by an email. This is to give customers extra security. Here’s what to watch out for – as always, you won’t be asked for personal or financial information.

Multi-factor authentication – when you try logging into your online tax account, you’ll get an access code by text or voice message as an extra security step. This is to stop someone logging in, even if they know your details. If you activate multi-factor authentication, you’ll need your Government Gateway user ID and password, and a mobile or landline device to log in.

National minimum wage errors – if you employ people, HMRC might get in touch to give you information about common errors surrounding the national minimum wage and national living wage. Look out for emails with information, as well as letters. You can check if it’s genuine by calling 03000 557755.

VAT register inactivity – you might get a phone call or email if HMRC doesn’t think you need to be VAT registered anymore, based on VAT account inactivity. You’ll be asked to confirm whether you still need to be registered and to give some basic information on where you’re trading.

See more reasons why HMRC might contact you using more than one communication method.

How have you handled any scam messages in the past? Let us know in the comments below.

Useful small business guides

• How to write a late payment letter – get your template
• How to register as self-employed with HMRC
• Self-employed tax brackets 2023/24: new thresholds, rates and allowances
• What is business insurance?