In short
Most common fake: Unexpected tax refund or rebate offers sent by text, email or social media.
Safest check: Do not use links or numbers in the message; sign in to your HMRC online account by typing gov.uk into your browser.
Where to report it: Forward suspicious HMRC texts to 60599 (charged at your network rate) and forward suspicious emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk.
What HMRC says
HMRC says it will never tell you about a tax rebate or ask for personal or payment details by text message, and only emails about rebates from addresses ending in hmrc.gov.uk. It also says it will never threaten arrest, leave voicemails threatening legal action, or ask you to pay with gift or payment vouchers. Source: HM Revenue and Customs (GOV.UK)
Common fake HMRC messages
These are the 5 shapes a fake HMRC message usually takes. They are listed in the order we see them most often, and none of them is something HMRC itself does.
- Unexpected tax refund or rebate offers sent by text, email or social media
- Calls or voicemails threatening arrest or legal action over unpaid tax
- Messages asking for bank or card details to receive a refund or grant
- Pressure to transfer money or pay with gift or payment vouchers
- Contact through WhatsApp claiming to be HMRC
HMRC's real web addresses
Genuine HMRC links and emails use these domains. Look at the part just before the first single slash: gov.uk is real, but gov-support-center.com or gov.uk.account-check.top are not.
- gov.uk
- hmrc.gov.uk
- tax.service.gov.uk
Scammers can also hide a fake link behind real-looking text. Learn how to read a web address.
How to check a HMRC message safely
- Do not use links or numbers in the message; sign in to your HMRC online account by typing gov.uk into your browser
- Check the contact against HMRC's list of genuine HMRC contacts on GOV.UK
- Remember HMRC does not send tax rebate notices by text, so treat any such text as a scam
How to report a fake HMRC message
- Forward suspicious HMRC texts to 60599 (charged at your network rate) and forward suspicious emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk. Official details on gov.uk
- Report suspicious phone calls using HMRC's online suspicious phone call form, and report fake social media accounts to branddefence@hmrc.gov.uk. Official details on gov.uk
Also report it to the official fraud service in your country. See the worldwide list.
If you clicked, paid or shared details
Act quickly. It makes a difference.
- If you entered card or bank details, call your bank now using the number on your card, and ask them to block the card.
- If you entered a password, change it at gov.uk, typed into your browser yourself, and turn on two-step verification. Do not use any link from the message.
- Expect follow-up calls or messages pretending to help, sometimes claiming to be from HMRC security. Never share one-time codes and never move money to a "safe account".
- Forward suspicious HMRC texts to 60599 (charged at your network rate) and forward suspicious emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk, then delete the message.
More help: Fake tax refunds, government payments and fines and what to do after a scam.
How to protect yourself next time
Watch for anyone using your identity
If you shared ID documents, card details or a Social Security number, monitoring can alert you when someone opens credit or accounts in your name.
Free: In the US, a credit freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion is free and blocks most new-credit fraud. Elsewhere, ask your bank and your credit reference agency about fraud alerts.
- Aura Partner link US identity theft protection with credit monitoring and fraud insurance.
Take your details off data broker sites
Scammers buy phone numbers, home addresses and family details from people-search and data broker sites. The less of that is public, the fewer and less convincing the scam messages you get.
Free: You can ask each site to delete your details yourself. In the EU and the UK, data protection law gives you that right.
- Incogni Partner link Sends removal requests to data brokers for you, and keeps sending them.
Compare the tools that help, and what each costs
Links marked Partner link may earn us a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes our advice, and the free option always comes first. Affiliate disclosure.
Questions people ask
Does HMRC send messages asking for payment or personal details?
HMRC says it will never tell you about a tax rebate or ask for personal or payment details by text message, and only emails about rebates from addresses ending in hmrc.gov.uk. It also says it will never threaten arrest, leave voicemails threatening legal action, or ask you to pay with gift or payment vouchers.
How can I check if a HMRC message is real?
Do not use links or numbers in the message; sign in to your HMRC online account by typing gov.uk into your browser. Check the contact against HMRC's list of genuine HMRC contacts on GOV.UK. Remember HMRC does not send tax rebate notices by text, so treat any such text as a scam.
How do I report a fake HMRC message?
Forward suspicious HMRC texts to 60599 (charged at your network rate) and forward suspicious emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk. Report suspicious phone calls using HMRC's online suspicious phone call form, and report fake social media accounts to branddefence@hmrc.gov.uk.
I clicked a link in a fake HMRC message but did not enter anything. Am I at risk?
Opening a link is far less serious than filling one in. Close it, and if you need your account, reach it by typing gov.uk yourself. Clicking does tell the sender your number is live, so expect more messages for a while: forward suspicious hmrc texts to 60599 (charged at your network rate) and forward suspicious emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk.
Have you had this one?
Tell other people what the message said and how it reached you. It helps someone recognise it before they tap.
No stories yet. Yours could be the one that warns someone.
Official sources and further reading
We check our pages against official advice from the organisations themselves and from government agencies.
- Report suspicious HMRC emails, text messages and phone calls (HM Revenue and Customs (GOV.UK))
- Identify tax scam phone calls, emails and text messages (HM Revenue and Customs (GOV.UK))