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With the Self-Assessment Tax Return deadline approaching on 31 January 2021, HMRC is warning customers completing these returns to take care in avoiding scams.
Phishing is a cybercrime in which a target is contacted by email, phone or SMS by someone posing as a legitimate institution to lure individuals into giving personal and/or sensitive data. HMRC reports that many scammers target customers to inform them of a fake tax rebate or tax refund they are due.
In the past 12 months, HMRC has responded to more than 846,000 reports of suspicious HMRC contact.
Individuals completing their Self-Assessment can complete their Tax Return online, which involves having two sources of information to access to protect against identity fraud:
- Credit reference agency data
- Tax credits
- P60/Payslip
- UK Passport
You will never receive an email, SMS, message in an application such as Whatsapp or phone call from HMRC which tells you about a tax rebate/penalty or asks for your personal payment information.
Forward suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and suspicious text messages to 60599.
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Knowing how to take control of your business finances to maximise profits can be difficult, especially with the current climate. Knowing the common mistakes to avoid can be difficult and can leave you feeling unsure.
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