Workers are being urged to stay vigilant as HMRC prepares to send out P800 tax calculation letters to around 4 million people, including PAYE employees and pensioners who may have overpaid income tax.
As these refund letters arrive, finance company Ocean Finance warns that scammers are taking advantage of the situation by posing as HMRC and attempting to trick recipients into clicking phishing links or sharing personal information.
Siobhan Blagbrough, financial crime manager at Ocean Finance, says: “Scammers know tax refund letters are landing this summer, which gives them the perfect cover. People waiting for a rebate are much more likely to believe a text or email asking them to ‘claim now.’
“But HMRC will never call, text, or email you unexpectedly about a refund. If you’re owed money, you’ll either get a cheque in the post or be asked to claim it through your online tax account at Gov.uk.”
Explaining why overpayments might have happened, Siobhan continues: “You might have been on the wrong tax code – this often happens if HMRC has outdated information about your income. It’s also common if you’ve changed jobs and were paid by two employers in the same month. Some people find they’ve overpaid after starting to receive a workplace or private pension, or if they’ve received benefits like Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance.
“If you weren’t expecting a message – don’t click, don’t reply, and don’t share your details. Fraudsters often use pressure tactics, spoofed numbers, and fake websites to trick people. If something feels off, trust your gut and report it using HMRC’s phishing scam form. A few seconds of caution could save you thousands.”
On what to do if you’ve been scammed, Ocean Finance recommends:
- Contact your bank or card provider: “Your bank can block your card, investigate, and potentially refund your money. The quicker you act, the better.”
- Request a chargeback: “If you paid via debit card, chargeback could help you recover your money. This process allows you to dispute an unauthorised transaction and request a refund.”
- Report the scam: Contact Action Fraud to help authorities track down criminals and prevents future scams.
- Update your passwords: If scammers got hold of your login details, change your passwords immediately. Use strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication. Over half of Brits (53%) use the same password across multiple accounts*, leaving them wide open to hackers.
