Scam Examples Secria

HMRC scam texts

HMRC does text some people, but it says it will never ask for personal or financial information by text. A text offering a refund for your bank details is a scam.1

tax-office.notice@example.org

iMessage
Today 9:41 AM

HMRC: You are due a tax refund of £482.16.1 Claim within 24 hours2 or it will be cancelled. Enter your bank details3 at hmrc-refund-claim.example.org4

  1. A refund out of the blue. HMRC lists an offer of a refund, tax rebate or grant as a sign of a scam.2
  2. A rush. Being hurried or threatened is on the same list.2
  3. A request for bank details. HMRC never asks for personal or financial information in a text.1
  4. A link that isn't GOV.UK. HMRC's texts link only to GOV.UK information or HMRC webchat, if at all.1

What to do Don't reply or tap. Forward the text to 60599 (network charges apply) or email it to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk, then delete it.1

Rebuilt from HMRC's own scam guidance; the amount, sender and address are made up. Checked 1 November 2026 against the sources.

Texts HMRC says it is sending now

HMRC lists every text it sends, with dates. Four from that list, as of 1 November 2026.1

  1. 15 June to 14 December 2026: debt recovery.A missing payment, a credit on your account, or money held in a business bank account.1
  2. 21 September 2026 to 19 March 2027: international debt.A payment not received. It asks you to check your online account and search for "non-resident payment enquiries" on GOV.UK.1
  3. From 29 September 2026: retirement annuity relief.Only if HMRC wrote to you about a claim. No links, and no request for personal or financial information.1
  4. Any time: a P800 refund reminder.Only after a letter you didn't answer. No links, and no request for details.1

What HMRC says it never does

From its own guidance on spotting tax scams.2

By phone or message

HMRC will never leave a voicemail threatening legal action, threaten arrest, or ask you to pay with gift or payment vouchers. It never uses social media to offer a tax rebate.2

A "press 1 to speak to a caseworker" lawsuit call is a known scam.3

By email or WhatsApp

HMRC only emails about a rebate from an address ending in hmrc.gov.uk, and fraudsters can fake the display name.3 On WhatsApp it only sends one-way alerts on the UK Government channel, if you subscribed.2

If unsure, forward it to HMRC and delete it.3

If you got one

  1. Texts: forward to 60599 or email phishing@hmrc.gov.uk, then delete.1 You can also forward any scam text to 7726, free.4
  2. Social media accounts posing as HMRC: send the account name and platform to branddefence@hmrc.gov.uk.2 Where to report each kind of scam
  3. If you shared personal details, you can report it to HMRC's security team.2
  4. If you lost money, report it to Report Fraud online, or to Police Scotland on 101 if you live in Scotland.2

Questions people ask

Are text messages from HMRC genuine?

Some are. HMRC lists every text it sends on GOV.UK, under "Check if a text message you've received from HMRC is genuine". If yours isn't listed, HMRC points you to its page on contact that uses more than one method, and to its reporting routes.1

What does a real HMRC branded text look like?

Some HMRC texts are branded: they show HM Revenue and Customs as the sender, the HMRC logo and the verified sender's information. On phones that can't show these, they appear as a standard text.1

I got a tax refund text. Could it be real?

HMRC may text about a P800 refund, but only after sending a letter, and that text has no links and asks for nothing.1 Firms offering to claim a refund for you, usually for a fee, are not connected with HMRC.3

A text says I owe customs duty on a parcel. Is it HMRC?

HMRC warns of texts and emails saying you must pay customs duty to receive a valuable parcel that doesn't exist.3 If in doubt, don't reply, and email phishing@hmrc.gov.uk.3

More scam examples

Sources 4
  1. Check if a text message you've received from HMRC is genuine (updated 5 October 2026), HM Revenue and Customs, GOV.UK. Read 1 November 2026.
  2. Identify tax scams by phone, text, email or social media (updated 6 October 2026), HM Revenue and Customs, GOV.UK. Read 1 November 2026.
  3. Examples of phishing emails, suspicious phone calls and texts (updated 15 December 2025), HM Revenue and Customs, GOV.UK. Read 1 November 2026.
  4. Report a scam text (undated page), National Cyber Security Centre. Read 1 November 2026.

Every example is rebuilt from an official alert and made safe, and every source shows the day we read it. How we check