The Seniors Guide To Staying Safe Against Tax Scams​

Types of scams

Fake HMRC texts

This kind of scam is really common these days. You get a text message from the taxman, with either the great news that you’re getting a refund or a dire warning that you owe money to HMRC. Some of these can be really scary, with threats that you’re about to be arrested if you don’t pay up on the spot. The text looks believable, because the sender’s address has been “spoofed” to look like it’s from HMRC. There’ll probably be a link to tap to take you to a realistic-looking website. Again, however they dress it up, all the scammer wants are your bank details and/or personal information, either to use themselves or to sell on to other criminals.

Popular scams happening right now

You brexit, you bought it

We’re all still pretty worked up about Brexit, whichever side of the argument you took. The thing is, panic and chaos are exactly the kind of pressures the scammers thrive on. No one makes good decisions when they’re under stress, so we’re seeing a lot of fraudsters taking the taxman’s name in vain to try and grab your details. People are being told they need to register for a “UK trader number”, for example. As always, all they need you to do is supply a few key details to make the whole problem go away. Of course, by “problem” they generally mean “your cash”.

We’re also finding scammers offering “incredible investment opportunities” arising from Brexit, either to reduce its impact or seize on its supposed windfalls. You might even be told you’re due for a “Brexit severance” payment or something equally magical. Needless to say, you’ll never see a penny of that.

Popular scams happening right now

Dangerous attachments

One of the key ways that scammers will try to get you is with an email attachment. It might be masquerading as an important tax document, or almost anything. The catch is that, if you open it, it dumps a virus or other malware into your system that could do anything from stealing your passwords to killing your computer altogether. One particularly ugly example is the ransomware attack. Basically, when the program runs it locks and encrypts a lot of your files so you can’t open them. The scammer then demands a hard-to-trace payment to unlock everything, usually via something like Bitcoin.

Popular scams happening right now

Social media scams

This is another pretty popular attack for tax scammers. It starts with a private message on a service like Twitter or Facebook. Suddenly, you find “HMRC” demanding payments or promising instant refunds. Again, the real HMRC won’t ever approach you like this. Don’t reply and never click the links they provide.

Popular scams happening right now

Tax credit scam

A particularly juicy target for the scam merchants seems to be people renewing their tax credits. That’s when they’re most likely to fall for fake calls or messages from HMRC. You might be told you’re owed a fat tax refund, or that you need to pay back some cash. Either way, all the scammers want is your personal and banking information. They might even try to trick you into making a payment directly to them.

Here’s how to protect yourself:

• Never give out personal or banking details via text message or email. They’re so easy to fake, and HMRC will never ask you to do this.
• Don’t click any links or open any attachments you get in an unexpected message claiming to be from HMRC.
• Don’t get rushed into making bad decisions over the phone. HMRC won’t try to pressure or panic you in a phone call.
• Always report any dodgy calls or messages you get to HMRC. It’s definitely better to be safe than sorry.
• Call your bank if you’ve already fallen for a scam. They can often help. You can also get in touch with Action Fraud.

Popular scams happening right now

The weird stuff

There are even reports of scams where the fraudsters pretend to be HMRC, demanding a large tax payment in the form of iTunes vouchers. To most people, this probably sounds like a joke, but a surprising number of people are being taken in by it, losing an average of £1,150 each. These scammers tend to attack elderly people, thinking that they’re less likely to realise they’re being conned.

Reporting a scam

Getting the word around about tax scams is a tough job, but it’s the best chance of keeping everyone safe. The more these criminals get reported, the less damage they can do. Most of these tricks only work because people don’t know to expect them, and a lot of them are fairly easy to spot and avoid if you know what you’re looking for. If you find yourself being targeted by a scammer, you should definitely make some noise about it. Here’s how:

• Forward those scam HMRC texts to 60599 to report them. For emails, you can forward them to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk. Don’t leave them sitting on your computer or phone once you’ve forwarded them. Just delete them.
• Most types of financial scam from unauthorised firms can be reported online at https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/report-scam-unauthorised-firm. They’ve got a simple form to fill in, so there’s no real hassle about it.
• Email scams can also be reported to the ISP that was used to send them. Gmail and Hotmail for instance, have simple buttons to click to report spam. Yahoo spam can be reported at abuse@yahoo.com.
• If your scammer’s masquerading as a company, it’s worth letting the real one know they’re being mimicked. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bank, a business or even a government department – telling them the scammers are using their name can help keep other people safe.
• You can also make a report to the UK’s Action Fraud site. Even if they don’t have enough information to fully investigate, every report helps to put the scale of the problem into focus - https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/
• Not all scams are electronic. If you’ve had some dodgy-looking post, you can download a Scam Mail Report from the Royal Mail website and send it to “FREEPOST SCAM MAIL”. If you want to make the report by phone or email, use 0800 0113466 (message service only) or scam.mail@royalmail.com.

Help and Support

Once you’ve done whatever you can to claw back the money you’ve lost, you’ll need to keep an even closer eye out for future scams. Some fraudsters will even contact previous victims, pretending to offer a service to get your lost cash back. While you’re at it, you should also check to see if your credit file’s been messed up by the scam. Sites like Clearscore can do this for free. In particular, look for any credit arrangements you didn’t set up yourself. If you’ve been a fraud victim in the past, potential lenders might be warned off by a “Cifas” note in your record. Again, you should be able to check for that.

Not all the damage of a scam can be measured in the weight of your wallet, of course. In fact, the shame of being cheated is enough to put a lot of victims off reporting the crime at all. Just remember that there’s help out there if you need someone to talk to. You can get hold of the free Victim Support service by phoning 0808 1689 111 or visiting their email supportline site. You can also find your local Victim Support centre here.