great central Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 Interesting text message received half an hour ago, says I'm due a refund on overpaid tax. Don't think it's genuine, sort of titled HMRC but link to download claim form doesn't include gov.uk in the address. It's not a huge amount, which I would have expected to be repaid through a code alteration? Ironically I received a letter this morning from HMRC which says I owe them more from last year! Any thoughts? I haven't opened the link so shouldn't have put anything at risk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 Have a look at HMRC's website for current scams. It's 99.99999% certain it is a scam. steve 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin1985 Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 Sounds very much like a scam. I did get a paper letter about a refund, which directed me to a "P800" section on gov.uk. https://www.gov.uk/tax-overpayments-and-underpayments Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold RedgateModels Posted August 10, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 10, 2020 HMRC only ever send you a letter, for this very reason. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 You would never get a text from the IR. Everything is generally in writing, so I would say a total scam. Had similar in the past and just deleted them. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold SHMD Posted August 10, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 10, 2020 I've been "lucky enough" to get several refunds this year alone! - All for differing small-ish amounts exactly like OP. I never even look at the link let alone click on it! Kev. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted August 10, 2020 Author Share Posted August 10, 2020 Thanks all, I thought as much. Now received an unexpected phone call purportedly from Warboys in Cambridgeshire. Oddly enough I signed up to the eBay app this morning using my mobile number as contact, can't help thinking there's a connection. Me, paranoid, never!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted August 10, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 10, 2020 10 minutes ago, SHMD said: I've been "lucky enough" to get several refunds this year alone! - All for differing small-ish amounts exactly like OP. I never even look at the link let alone click on it! Kev. That's part of the catch, to make it sound plausible and seemingly not much at risk. The ones that get me are from businesses I've never heard from, in currencies that trigger an alert straight away. For instance 8000 odd Euros. I'm in Australia, somehow I think I'd remember spending that sort of money! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 Yeah. I've been getting them supposedly from Amazon for about a month or so. I think the scammers realise that a lot of people are using online shopping for the first time so are easy targets. The only things I've bought from Amazon in the last few years are occasional books which cost a few pounds each. Nothing that I'll be getting a refund for unless there was something physically wrong with them and it'll be me instigating the refund. Jason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free At Last Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 (edited) Never having given my phone number or email address to HMRC, TVLA or African Prince's I treat any contact from them using those methods as a scam. Edited August 10, 2020 by Free At Last 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted August 10, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 10, 2020 1 hour ago, gordon s said: You would never get a text from the IR. Everything is generally in writing, so I would say a total scam. Had similar in the past and just deleted them. Genuine text messages from HMRC. If you are self employed you will get text messages reminding you that it it time to file your tax return and for other things. Andi 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 Fair enough. I don’t see those as I’m not self employed and HMRC and others don’t have my mobile number..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted August 10, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 10, 2020 This though is on the HMRC pages about claiming the SEISS grant Andi 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 There ARE occasions when you might receive a genuine text from HMRC, but they revolve around log-in issues. Usually change of password. You will know, because they will be linked to whatever you are doing on the computer. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philou Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 I don't know if this can help: In Outlook/Hotmail, if you receive a message that 'may' look genuine but not expecting one, you can right-click on the message and when the drop-down opens, among the options is 'view message source', click on that and you can track who sent it and what the message contained - load of computer talk - but you can see it all. Alternatively, you can hover the mouse over the name of the sender and it will show the address of the sender. I do it from time to time as I get some messages purportedly from family that you can tell are not 'quite right' or refunds/account to be frozen/etc from companies that I have never dealt with. I then block them never to be seen again. Cheers, Philip 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted August 13, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 13, 2020 34 minutes ago, rockershovel said: There ARE occasions when you might receive a genuine text from HMRC, but they revolve around log-in issues. Usually change of password. You will know, because they will be linked to whatever you are doing on the computer. And there are times when some people will receive unsolicted texts from HMRC as I posted further up the thread. Andi 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted August 14, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 14, 2020 16 hours ago, Dagworth said: And there are times when some people will receive unsolicted texts from HMRC as I posted further up the thread. Andi True, but they will never ask you to pay/reclaim anything by clicking on a link. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Martin Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 There are various contexts in which HMRC might contact you by text or email. They're listed at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/genuine-hmrc-contact-and-recognising-phishing-emails There's also an online list of scams and fraudulent contacts at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/reporting-fraudulent-emails. This can only ever be a list of examples, because you're up against the ingenuity of the scuzzy toerags who run these scams and they can always think of something new. Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted August 14, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 14, 2020 30 minutes ago, Jim Martin said: There are various contexts in which HMRC might contact you by text or email. They're listed at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/genuine-hmrc-contact-and-recognising-phishing-emails There's also an online list of scams and fraudulent contacts at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/reporting-fraudulent-emails. This can only ever be a list of examples, because you're up against the ingenuity of the scuzzy toerags who run these scams and they can always think of something new. Jim True, but the STYLE of the scams has been around, since they used to POST stuff out. Paying some sort of 'admin fee', to get a large amount of money for instance, has been around for decades. Yet people fall for this and it's not just the elderly or confused. Not long ago, I received a letter with an invoice for an amount of 8000 odd Euros, posted in Switzerland!. 2 obvious things, last I knew Switzerland didn't do Euros and I'm in Australia! Still, I'm glad these types of scam are so easy to pick! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold SHMD Posted August 14, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 14, 2020 7th one this year! (If I have to calculate it, how can it be in the records?) /Quote/ HM revenue and Customs: Records show that you have a pending tax refund. Please follow the link to calculate your tax refund below: https://xxx-xxxxx-uk.net \Quote\ (Link name changed as it did take you to the phishing page.) Kev. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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