Scammers are imitating HMRC in fake tax refund emails

Fraudsters are sending fake ‘tax refund’ emails purporting to be from HMRC.

The emails include a link inviting the recipient to claim a tax refund. If you click the link, you’ll be taken to a website were you're asked to enter your personal details.

HMRC is regularly targeted by scammers phishing for personal data. We recently reported on text, email and phone scams where fraudsters impersonated the tax office.

Read on to learn how to spot and report this scam.

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HMRC tax refund scam email

This dodgy email uses HMRC branding to try to appear legitimate. It states: ‘After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity, we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund.’

It then tells you the amount of money you're due and includes an expiration date to urge you to act quickly. Underneath this, there’s a ‘Claim Now’ button. Clicking this takes you to a website where the scammer will phish for your details. HMRC has issued a warning about this scam.

HMRC will never send specific tax information (such as how much you owe or any rebates due to you) by email, so if you receive this message you can be sure it's a scam.

How to report scam emails

Scam emails should be forwarded to report@phishing.gov.uk to report them. You can also select ‘Report Spam’ on Gmail, ‘Report phishing’ on Hotmail or forward emails to abuse@yahoo.com from a Yahoo account.

Scam emails contain phishing links that lead to dodgy websites, so you should avoid clicking links in any unsolicited emails. If you do end up on a suspicious website, you can report the site to the National Cyber Security Centre (NSCS). If you’ve fallen victim to a scam, contact your bank immediately and report the crime to Action Fraud.