Watch out for HMRC “arrest warrant” phone call scam

A surge of fake HMRC scam telephone calls are targeting UK victims that attempt to extort money on the threat of fines or even imprisonment.

Scams pretending to come from tax entities are common during the end of the fiscal tax year, and with the UK tax year coming to an end, reports suggest there has been a sudden surge of phone call scams pretending to come from the UK’s HMRC tax body which try and panic victims into paying out large amounts of money.

How does the HMRC phone scam work?

The scammers will call a victim while pretending to be from the HMRC, and will claim the victim is being fined or an arrest warrant has been issued because they have committed tax fraud.

The scammer then explains the victim will need to pay a hefty fine, or they will face imprisonment.

Victims are pressured to pay on the spot, over the phone.

But the person on the other end of the phone isn’t someone from the HMRC. It’s a scammer. And the money a victim is duped into handing over goes straight to the crooks.

Such scammers can use a variety of techniques to make their scams look convincing. They can potentially spoof the HMRC’s real phone number, so it appears like the HMRC is really calling.

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They may even know the victim’s name, address and other personal details in certain circumstances.

The victim may also be told that if they don’t pay up, they will be raided by the police.

The HMRC does not make threatening phone calls, and will never demand that people pay on-the-spot fines over the phone.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the HMRC asking for money, simply hang up the phone immediately. If you’re in doubt, you can call the HMRC directly.