Tax refund scams
3 mins
Maybe you have already come across one of those fake emails that claim to be from HMRC, telling you have a massive tax refund waiting for you. We at DSR Tax Refunds have certainly seen a few in recent months and we’re tax experts! Or it might be that you are one of the lucky ones so far and have no idea that there are scammers out there claiming to be from HMRC in an attempt to get your financial details. Let our handy guide put you straight on the scammers’ tactics and if you are still not sure if you have been targeted, call our helpful team on 0330 122 9972 and we can help you out.
So, what are these scams?
These tax refund scams come in the form of emails, or more recently text messages too, claiming to be from HMRC and telling you that you are entitled to a large tax refund. They then direct you to click on a link in the email or text which leads you straight to the scammers. Of course, if you are a DSR Tax Refunds client then you may be expecting a text or email from us or HMRC so may think that these communications are genuine. So how can you tell the difference?
How can you tell if this is a scam or genuine?
These tax emails used to come around the end of a tax year but more recently, they have been more of a year-round phenomenon. The scammers make the emails look pretty convincing, although the more eagle-eyed of you may spot the odd spelling error that might raise your suspicions. Unfortunately, more people fall prey to these scams because they look so genuine.
Some things to look out for in scam emails are:
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The email will probably be addressed to “Dear Customer” rather than being addressed to you personally.
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The email address probably won’t end @gov.uk – and if it appears that it does, always click on the address details to check that it isn’t hiding a fake address.
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Requests for credit/debit card details to pay the refund. We at DSR Tax Refunds will not ask you for this information and nor will HMRC.
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HMRC never send you your refund amount by text and if DSR Tax Refunds contact you by text, we won’t ask you for any of your financial details.
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DSR Tax Refunds will never ask you to input your information into any HMRC site – we deal with HMRC on your behalf so you don’t have to. Any email or text that does is “phishing” for your personal information for criminal purposes – either to get your money or to commit identity fraud with your details.
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There might be obvious spelling errors in the emails or text messages – a real HMRC communication would not contain these errors.
What should you do if you think you have been subject to a scam message?
First things first, contact our friendly team on 0330 122 9972 and check with us whether we have sent you an email or text. All of this information will be held by us so it will be really easy for us to check whether we have sent you any form of communication.
Just as importantly, NEVER give out any of your personal information in response to these kinds of messages before you have checked with us. Don’t worry that you will be bothering us – our clients are always our first concern so we will always rather you feel safe that end up being conned.
If you are in any doubt whatsoever, give us a call on 0330 122 9972 and let us check it out for you.