How one can defend your self as fraudsters goal UK taxpayers

‘Tis the season for, nicely, plenty of issues. Get trick or treating out of the way in which, after which it’s time for the vacations. End unwrapping your presents, and prepare for New Yr’s Eve. When you’ve caught up in your sleep, it’s arguably essentially the most thrilling time of all – that’s proper, tax season. 

In all seriousness, tax season may be an especially aggravating time for taxpayers and accountants alike – maybe much more so this 12 months, with HMRC’s monumental change, Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT, totally underway for the primary time. 

Affected enterprise house owners and their advisors are adapting to this variation whereas the self-employed and landlords are making ready for the arrival of subsequent 12 months’s MTD for Earnings Tax Self Evaluation (ITSA) – each of which is able to lead to better efficiencies and fewer onerous admin. 

Nonetheless, a extra pernicious difficulty is looming massive. 

HMRC has warned that taxpayers are more and more being focused by fraudsters, and ought to be conscious of scams the place they’ll pay money for private info or financial institution particulars. Right here’s all you have to find out about this burgeoning menace, and a few steps to maintain your particulars protected. 

Risk panorama

In keeping with HMRC, between September 2021 and August 2022 they’ve responded to greater than 180,000 referrals of suspicious exercise from taxpayers and of those referrals, nearly 81,000 of those associated to scams providing pretend tax rebates.

I’ve personally obtained a number of of those in latest months. They’ve included an automatic phone message telling me that I’ve underpaid Nationwide Insurance coverage and to pay over the cellphone or face a felony conviction, in addition to emails claiming to be HMRC telling me to click on a hyperlink to enter financial institution particulars to get my tax rebate. Suspicion piqued, fortunately I did neither.

I’m fortunate sufficient to have a background in tax advisory, so I do know the warning indicators. However others gained’t pay attention to their tax place, particularly those that are unrepresented. At a time the place many are struggling, the prospect of free cash from HMRC is interesting and I worry many will fall sufferer to those horrible scams over the following few months.

So, how are you going to inform in case you are being focused? 

Be vigilant

First, it’s important to do not forget that HMRC would by no means name somebody threatening arrest. In the event you ever get this name, alarm bells ought to be ringing. The truth is, if you happen to obtain contact from anybody claiming to be from HMRC in any manner, it is best to take your time and verify this recommendation on gov.uk.

In the event you suspect you might be being focused, you possibly can report suspicious exercise to HMRC by forwarding textual content messages to 60599 and any emails to phising@hmrc.gov.uk. In the event you obtain a cellphone name, you possibly can report it utilizing this on-line kind. 

It’s additionally essential to remember this barely pessimistic view: if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. In the event you obtain any correspondence from HMRC saying you might be due a rebate or face felony motion if you happen to don’t act now, simply cease, take a minute after which contact HMRC straight in case you have any issues.

Steps to security

Hopefully you escape this season with out being focused by fraudsters, however keep in mind there are all the time additional steps you possibly can take to maintain your info protected. 

First, use Multi-Issue Authentication or verification apps to construct in further ranges of safety. Second, all the time apply software program updates in your units as and after they grow to be obtainable. Third, by no means use the identical password for various web sites – you wouldn’t share your Netflix logins with somebody if the password was the identical as your Amazon account, for instance. 

Lastly, by no means share your login info with anybody, no matter how reliable they might appear. By bearing these factors in thoughts, it is best to have the ability to keep away from being caught out by fraudsters this tax season.

To study extra about MTD for VAT, take a look at our hubs for small companies and accountants. If you wish to discover out extra about MTD for ITSA, now we have a host of assets obtainable to get you up to the mark.