HMRC Scams 2026: How to Spot and Report Fake Texts, Emails and Calls

Criminals impersonate HMRC by text, email, phone and social media to steal money and personal details. The good news: HMRC follows clear rules about how it contacts you, so most scams are easy to spot once you know the tells.

What HMRC will never do

HMRC says it will never:

• leave a voicemail threatening legal action, or threaten arrest;
• ask you to pay with gift or payment vouchers;
• contact you on WhatsApp other than single-message alerts on the UK Government Channel, which you have to subscribe to and cannot reply to.

Signs a message could be a scam

HMRC’s checklist says a phone call, email or text could be a scam if it rushes you, is threatening, is unexpected, asks for personal information like bank details, tells you to transfer money, or offers a refund, tax rebate or grant (HMRC).

Two things to know about refunds and personal details:

• Genuine P800 refund emails exist. HMRC may email to say you are due a tax refund (a P800 refund) if it has sent you a letter and had no response. That email will not ask for personal or financial information and will not contain links (HMRC list of genuine emails). A “refund” message with a link, or one asking for card or bank details, is a scam.
• A few genuine emails do ask for information. HMRC’s list says some VAT registration emails may include requests for personal or financial information. So a request for details is not proof either way: check the message against HMRC’s list of genuine contacts before you reply.

Do not rely on the sender’s email address or phone number, which can be faked. To claim a real refund, go to your Personal Tax Account or the HMRC app yourself, or ask HMRC for a cheque (gov.uk) - never through a link in a message.

Common HMRC scams

• “Tax refund” text or email. A message says you are owed a refund and links to a fake HMRC page that harvests your card and bank details. HMRC’s genuine P800 refund email contains no links.
• Threatening phone call. An automated or live call claims you owe tax and will be arrested unless you pay immediately, often demanding vouchers or a bank transfer.
• Fake repayment email. A convincing email with HMRC branding asks you to “verify” your details to release a payment.
• Social media and WhatsApp. Accounts posing as HMRC offer rebates or “support” and ask for personal information.

How to report an HMRC scam

Reporting takes seconds and helps HMRC shut the scam down:

Type	How to report
Suspicious text	Forward to 60599 (network charges apply), then delete
Suspicious email	Forward to [email protected], then delete
Message in an app such as WhatsApp	Take a screenshot and email it to [email protected]
Suspicious phone call	Use HMRC’s online “report a suspicious HMRC phone call” service
Suspicious letter	Contact the HMRC team the letter says it is from, for example the Self Assessment team
Fake social media account	Email [email protected]

Do not open attachments or click links in an unexpected message - they can install malware or lead to a fake site.

If you have already responded

If you clicked a link, paid, or shared details:

• contact your bank immediately if you gave card or bank details;
• change any passwords you entered on the fake site;
• report it to Report Fraud through its website if you lost money - the service formerly called Action Fraud, renamed in December 2025 per HMRC (or Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland);
• tell the HMRC security team ([email protected]) if you gave personal information in reply to a suspicious email or text, with brief details of what you disclosed but not the details themselves;
• report the scam to HMRC using the channels above so the fake site or number can be taken down;
• monitor your accounts for unusual activity.

Related guides

Knowing how HMRC really contacts you is the best defence. See the Personal Tax Account guide for where genuine refunds and messages actually appear, and the Self Assessment deadlines and penalties guide for when HMRC genuinely needs something from you.