UK phone number search

HMRC scam calls, texts and fake officials

By the StoryCheck team · 7 min read · Published 29 September 2026

A call that threatens you with arrest or legal action over unpaid tax, or a call or text offering you a tax refund, is not genuine HMRC contact. HMRC says it will never leave voicemails threatening legal action or arrest, and will never contact you by email, text or phone to tell you about a refund or ask you to claim one. In the UK, hang up, check your tax yourself in your HMRC online account or the HMRC app, and report the call on GOV.UK or forward the text to 60599.

What do fake HMRC calls and texts say?

HMRC publishes examples of the scams it sees. One well-known call is automated: a recorded voice says HMRC is filing a lawsuit against you and to press 1 to speak to a caseworker and make a payment. Others claim your National Insurance number has been used in fraud, or offer a refund and ask for your card or bank details. Take Five, the banks' fraud campaign, describes a typical case in which a recorded "officer" threatens arrest unless the victim rings back, and the person who answers demands immediate payment of a tax bill.

Scammers time their messages to real events such as the Self Assessment deadline, and fake refunds are a favourite. In December 2025 HMRC said people had reported more than 135,500 HMRC-related scams in ten months, 29,000 of them fake tax refunds, and that it had closed nearly 25,000 fake websites and phone numbers. In April 2026, with almost two million pensioners due to repay the Winter Fuel Payment they received in winter 2025 because their income is over £35,000, HMRC warned that scammers may use the repayment as a hook, and said it will never text or email people asking them to repay it or asking for bank details.

What about calls from the police or Report Fraud?

Fake police officers follow a different script. Stop! Think Fraud describes it: a caller says criminals have cloned your bank cards and asks you to help the investigation by handing your cards, PIN or cash to an "undercover officer" or courier, or by buying something valuable and handing that over. Report Fraud recorded 1,891 courier fraud reports in 2025, with losses above £21 million and an average of £15,311 per victim, and people aged 76 to 96 made up around 62% of reports. No police force will ever ask you to transfer money or send someone to collect your card, cash or valuables. To check, hang up and call 101 from a different phone.

Even the fraud reporting service is being impersonated. On 29 July 2026 Report Fraud warned about calls that appear to come from its own number. It may sometimes ring people about a report they have already made, but it will not ask for sensitive information out of the blue and it supports you hanging up to check. If you are unsure, end the call and contact Report Fraud using the official details on GOV.UK, quoting your reference number.

How do you check whether HMRC really contacted you?

1. 1

   End the call or ignore the link

   HMRC's own advice is not to speak to a caller whose identity you cannot verify, and not to open links in texts offering refunds.

2. 2

   Log in yourself

   Open your HMRC online account through GOV.UK, or the HMRC app, by going there directly rather than through a link. If you are genuinely owed a refund you can claim it there, and it is the place to check anything HMRC says you owe.

3. 3

   Check the genuine contacts list

   HMRC publishes a list of genuine HMRC contacts on GOV.UK, alongside examples of scam emails, calls and texts.

4. 4

   Call back on an official number

   If you still need to speak to HMRC, use the contact numbers on GOV.UK, never a number from the call or message.

Where do you report an HMRC scam?

• Texts: forward them to 60599 (network charges apply), then delete them.
• Emails: forward them to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk.
• Calls: use the Report a suspicious HMRC phone call service on GOV.UK.
• Social media accounts posing as HMRC: email the details to branddefence@hmrc.gov.uk.
• Scam calls and texts to a mobile can also go to 7726: forward texts, and for calls text CALL followed by the number.
• If you shared personal details, report the disclosure to HMRC's security team through GOV.UK.
• If you lost money, call your bank on 159, then report it to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.

Can a number check tell you if it was really HMRC?

It can tell you what kind of line called, not who was speaking. A reverse lookup on the number shows whether it is a mobile, a landline or a VoIP line, the network and region where known, and whether it carries scam signals, which helps when a "tax officer" rang from an ordinary mobile or an internet number. But caller ID can be spoofed to display a genuine government number, so an official-looking number proves nothing either way. The only reliable check is one you start yourself. Our who called me guide explains how to read UK numbers at a glance.