HMRC 'business tax compliance' scam letter warning

A scam letter is doing the rounds purporting to be from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) – and it's one of the most convincing we've seen.

Scammers regularly masquerade as the tax office in calls, texts, emails and letters in an effort to get you to share personal information and con you out of your cash.

Here, Which? explains what the latest scam involves and how to keep safe. 

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How the latest HMRC scam works

The letter states ‘we need you to verify your financial information’ and claims to be in response to a ‘recent government initiative aimed at verifying declared income.’

It goes on to say that you must submit documents that declare your full income to avoid tax evasion and tax fraud. The documents required include business bank statements and a photo of either your driving licence or passport – all the information a fraudster would need to commit identity fraud.

The letter is one of the most convincing we've seen; there's a link to the official government website for additional support plus all the right logos, font and HMRC branding. 

What gives it away as a scam is the back of the letter, where a dodgy email address (companies-review@hmrc-taxchecks.org) is listed to send the documents to.

How to spot an HMRC scam letter

As scammers get better at creating fake messages impersonating HMRC, you may have to look for suspicious details with a fine-tooth comb.

If you receive an out-of-the-blue letter from HMRC, you can verify its authenticity by checking this list of genuine letters the tax office sends out on the government website.

• Find out more: how to spot an HMRC phone, text or email scam

What to do if you get a fake HMRC letter

You can report scam letters claiming to be from HMRC by contacting the relevant HMRC team – in this case, the tax compliance team.

If you receive dodgy mail that you think might be from fraudsters, you can send it to Royal Mail at: Freepost Royal Mail Customer Services.

Royal Mail also provides a form that you can use to report scam letters. You can submit this online or send it to Freepost Scam Mail with the letter you received. Reporting scams helps Royal Mail investigate them with the relevant authorities.

You can also report the scam to Action Fraud or call the police on 101 if you’re in Scotland. If you lost money to a scam, contact your bank immediately using the number on the back of your card.