Staff at HMRC are often notified of telephone calls involving aggressive voicemail messages left on people’s telephones by scammers pretending to be HMRC.
HMRC tell OnTheWight they received many reports of such a scam operating in the Isle of Wight area during April and are reminding readers what to do if they receive a call.
An HMRC spokesperson said:
“Phone scams are widely reported, and generally attempt to target elderly and vulnerable people. They often involve people receiving a call out of the blue and being told that HMRC is investigating them.
“If you can’t verify the identity of the caller, we recommend that you do not speak to them.”
They went on to say,
“HMRC will call people about outstanding tax bills, and sometimes use automated messages, however this would include your taxpayer reference number.
“If you are uncertain of the caller hang up and call HMRC directly to check – you can confirm our call centre numbers on GOV.UK if you are unsure. For tax credits we do not include your details in any voicemail messages.”
