HMRC is warning of the risk of dodgy tax refund offers and even threats of arrest for failure to pay a tax bill

More than 170,000 scam incidents were reported to HMRC in the 12 months to 31 July 2025, and 28% of these reports involved fake tax refund claims, with 47,000 of these scams alone.

The U-turn on winter fuel payments means that scammers now have a new revenue stream and are hard at work trying to rip everyone off with blanket phishing texts pretending to be from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

A current email scam doing the rounds says ‘there have been discrepancies in your previous tax return’, and warns the recipient they ‘must log in by the end of the week to avoid penalties’.

There is a refund notification email that looks quite official, but the email sender address is an immediate giveaway, stating it comes from the ‘Tax Authority of the United Kingdom’.

Scammers often impersonate HMRC, offering fake refunds or demanding urgent payments to steal personal and banking information. Remember that passwords, usernames, and access codes are private and you should never share them, even with someone you trust.

HMRC will never:

• leave voicemails threatening legal action or arrest;
• ask for personal or financial information via text message or email;
• contact you by email, text, or phone to inform you about a refund or ask you to claim one.