Tax communications: Bona fide or Scam?
You’ve probably seen statements from HMRC saying they will never contact taxpayers via SMS or email. It’s always been one of their strategies to reduce fraud. If you know that any SMSs or emails apparently from HMRC are spam, you can happily delete them without getting stressed. But that’s about to change!
In a bid to reduce costs and modernise the tax office, HMRC is going to start sending taxpayers texts and email updates, rather than so many letters. The email and text notifications will only be sent to HMRC app users, and alerts will be sent when new documentation or information has been uploaded to the individual’s app by HMRC, a new form of tax communications.
This is currently only in the planning stage and is likely to be introduced over the next couple of years. No official ‘go live’ date has been announced yet. However, it’s wise to understand that emails and SMS messages telling you that you owe tax with a link for payment are still likely to be fraudulent.
Think first
Some people see a notification telling them they owe tax and hit the panic button, and even good news, with a handy link to help you to share your bank details, is suspect.
Smart practice is to NEVER click a link in a message or email. Think first and access your HMRC account directly, not through a link provided.
Being aware is the first line of defence against fraud.
As the plan is to provide the information via the HMRC app, messages are likely to simply advise you to visit the app for information. That means that you will always have the security of only being able to access your information by entering your 6-figure unique pincode (so don’t share that with anyone else).
HMRC will never ask you to provide your bank details in an unsecure environment, so if someone does by email, message or phone, it’s a scammer.
If you have any questions about the new tax communications from HMRC, then please get in touch and one of our expert team will be happy to help you find a solution.
