HMRC: UK Taxpayers Should Be Wary During Tax Filing Season

by Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London

23 December 2015

UK tax authority HM Revenue and Customs is bolstering its online protection measures and urging taxpayers to be vigilant in the run-up to the online filing deadline.

HMRC said that it will issue more than a million Self Assessment emails to UK taxpayers over the next six weeks, to remind them of the impending January 31, 2016, deadline. It stressed that it has a strict protocol in place to help taxpayers protect themselves against email scammers and advised those who receive an email from HMRC to check whether it is genuine or a phishing scam.

HMRC said an email about personal tax or tax credits will never include or ask for personal or financial information of any sort, or financial information that refers to specific figures, tax computations, or specific facts about an individual. Nor will it contain email attachments, web links, offer a repayment or refund, or provide a personal HMRC email address to send a response to. HMRC added that it is constantly improving its online security systems.

Jonathan Lloyd White, HMRC's Director of Security and Information, said: "Handling the personal details of every taxpayer in the country is a huge responsibility and the security of this data, especially online, is a top priority for HMRC. We are committed to customers' online security, but the methods that fraudsters use to get information are constantly changing so people need to be alert."

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