Don’t fret... tax fine calls are a telephone scam

Q

I AM currently receiving two or three phone calls a day from HMRC. A woman warns me to contact my lawyers or a London phone number immediately because I have a serious tax problem. Unless I take immediate action, it is very likely that I shall be prosecuted and taken to court, and possibly sent to prison for unpaid tax.

I obviously don’t want this to happen – I have never been in court and I’m over 70. Can Which? throw some light on this? Richard M

A

WHICH? SAYS: Relax. You are not in a tax mess, this is a scam and even if you had a problem, HMRC does not contact people like this. But this message is very frightening – intentionally so.

The recorded female voice, which has been sent out countless times and sometimes several times a day to the same number, has nothing to do with HMRC. The idea is to scare recipients – mostly older people, usually those with no dealings with HMRC – into phoning what seems to be a London number.

Should you call – and our advice is “don’t” – you’ll talk to someone a long way away. They will tell you you have infringed some obscure tax law – nonsense but sounding authoritative – and you can make it all go away with a “penalty fine” – usually £250. That way, they get your money but also bank card details to sell to other fraudsters.

HMRC normally contacts taxpayers by letter when there are problems. These set out the difficulty and the amount of unpaid tax claimed. Court is the last resort. It’s used rarely, for the most serious evasion cases. It’s not the first action.

HMRC SAYS: “We are aware some taxpayers receive telephone calls claiming to be from HMRC requesting personal information and/or bank account details, to receive tax refunds, or to demand money for unpaid tax. HMRC takes security very seriously but you need to be alert. If you cannot verify the identity of the person making the call don’t disclose personal details. Report this to Action Fraud. (0300 123 2040)”

HMRC does use debt collection agencies which may phone when chasing tax debts. But, by then, you would have received several warning letters.