Scam callers '˜pretending to be taxmen' -MLA's warning

Robin Swann, the UUP assemblyman, explained that Action Fraud, the national fraud and cyber-crime reporting centre, had been made aware of ‘hundreds’ of such calls in recent weeks.

“One current phone scam reportedly involves an automated message that starts: ‘This is Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. We have been trying to reach you to let you know we are filing a law suit against you.’The message is then said to provide a list of options, such as: ‘To speak to your case officer, press one’.

“Action Fraud says hundreds of these types of calls have been made in recent weeks, so it’s important to be on your guard and ensure you take steps to stop scammers in their tracks,” said Assemblyman Swann.

A spokesperson for Action Fraud said: “HMRC takes taxpayers’ data-security extremely seriously. We are aware that some people have received telephone calls from people claiming to be from HMRC, requesting payment for alleged tax debts, or received text messages and emails promising a tax refund.

“HMRC will never notify you of a tax rebate, offer you repayment, or ask you to disclose personal or financial details by email or by text, and we recommend that if you cannot verify the identity of a caller that you do not speak to them.

“We continue our work with law enforcement agencies around the world to bring down the criminals behind these scams. Last year HMRC closed more than 14,000 fake websites and continues to protect customers by constantly searching for these types of activity.”