HMRC issues urgent warning to more than 2m people on Tax Credits renewing their claim before July

dailyrecord.co.uk:

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is warning everyone claiming Tax Credits to be aware of scams and fraudsters who imitate the Department in an attempt to steal their personal information or money - especially at this time of year when renewals are due.Some 2.1 million people claiming Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits are expected to renew their annual claims by July 31, 2022 and could be more susceptible to the tactics used by criminals who mimic UK Government messages to make them appear authentic, HMRC said.In the 12 months, to April 2022, HMRC responded to nearly 277,000 referrals of suspicious contact received from the public.Fraudsters use phone calls, text messages and emails to try and dupe individuals, often trying to rush them to make decisions, but HMRC has made it clear that it will not call anyone out of the blue threatening arrest – only criminals do that.Common examples of scam include:Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “We’re urging all of our customers to be really careful if they are contacted out of the blue by someone asking for money or bank details.“There are a lot of scams out there where fraudsters are calling, texting or emailing customers claiming to be from HMRC.“If you have any doubts, we suggest you don’t reply directly, and contact us straight away.

Search GOV.UK for our ‘scams checklist’ and to find out ‘how to report tax scams’.”HMRC does not charge Tax Credits customers to renew their annual claims and is also urging people to be alert to misleading websites or adverts designed to make them pay for Uk Government services that should be free, often charging for a connection to HMRC phone helplines.