Millions of Brits sent urgent scam warning – look out for this bogus text

Tax scammers are bombarding UK mobile phones with fake text alerts from as the deadline for self assessment returns approaches.

With just a week to go tens of thousands of scam alerts are being sent out every hour with hooky links for people to send their cash too – purporting to be from the government.

have put out an official warning reminding the nation’s 5.4 million outstanding self assessment customers that they must be alert to potential scams ahead of the impending deadline.

But officials fear the sheer volume of scam messages being sent mean people could easily fall victim.

John Clark, product manager at takepayments warned: “A recent report by NatWest found that tax rebate scams were one of the fastest growing scam types during 2024 – received more than 150,000 reports about tax scams during 2024 which represented an increase of 16.7% compared to 2023, of which 71,832 were offering fake tax rebates.

“In fact, scams have become so prevalent that the Government has been forced to put out an official scam warning for the 5.4 million people in the UK still expected to submit a self assessment tax return before the deadline.”

The crooks, often based in call centres overseas, are using multiple versions of similar scam texts, emails whilst ‘phishing’ phone calls purporting to be from have also increased rapidly in recent weeks.

The fake messages claim the respondent either owes money, is owed a refund from or needs to update their details to avoid being accused of tax evasion. The messages invite you to click a link with the aim of extracting personal information to steal money.”

Sarunas Sereika, security and privacy expert at Surfshark, said: “Cyber criminals will often seek to play on emotions as they gather personally identifiable information or financial details for malicious use.

“Hackers can use personally identifiable information to make fraudulent payments, open new online accounts, or ultimately sell this information on the dark web – where they’re traded for further illegal use, from fraud to extortion. When unsolicited text messages are received, it’s important avoid clicking any links that have been shared.

“For any message received, it’s important to stay calm and evaluate the legitimacy of the message or call received. Question whether you were expecting to receive the message, and if the communication style or wording seems professional, or in line with legitimate communication received previously.”

Sarunas said it is also important to follow general security best practice too – including ensuring a phone or PC is up to date, eliminating the security risk of known vulnerabilities and using dedicated tools, like data breach detection tools, to understand whether your information has been compromised.”

A statement on website warns : “Customers need to be aware of the risk of falling victim to scams and should never share their login details with anyone, including a tax agent if they have one.”

The signs to look out for:

Unsolicited messages regarding refunds – “Unexpected text messages regarding any form of financial payment or action should always be considered suspicious ,especially if the language encourages urgency. will never ask for your bank details or personal information over text.

Spelling and grammar mistakes in the text – Scammers often use broken English or grammatical mistakes within their texts. This could be a giveaway that a message or email isn’t legitimate.

If the message is from a suspicious number – Trusted bodies like won’t usually send official communication from a mobile number. Always check the number the message has come from and if in doubt, use a phone number lookup service online. If the number begins with 07 or is withheld, treat it as suspicious and don’t open any included links. Be aware that the number “60263” has been closely linked to fraudsters impersonating .

Background noise that sounds artificial on calls – There have been reports of an automated phone call claiming to be filing a lawsuit against you for tax evasion doing the rounds. Some fraudsters are using AI to produce these automated calls. Scammers often use background sounds to give the impression they are calling from a specific location, like a call centre. However, if these sounds seem looped, overly consistent, or don’t match the context of the call, they could be artificially added post-production to lend authenticity to the scam. Actual calls usually have clear sound quality without inconsistent or intrusive background noises.

How to try and avoid this scam:

Never send money via bank transfer to unknown sources – Many scammers request tax rebate payment by bank or wire transfer, or through a peer-to-peer (P2P) app like PayPal. These methods are designed for sending money to people that you know, like family and friends. They are not intended to be used for trusted organisation transactions and do not have protection in place to recover lost funds from fraud.

Look for two-factor authentication – Also known as 3D Secure Authentication (3DS), two-factor authentication is a key security feature when making online payments. Secure sites that use 3DS will have a Visa Secure, MasterCard SecureCode, or American Express SafeKey logo on them.

Never share personal details or information – Although do use text communication they will never request payment details over text or email. Links included in these messages are likely to lead to fraudulent websites. Unsecure payment gateways do not ask for four-digit card PINs or online banking information, including passwords.

Protect your information online – Having personal details like your phone number and email address publicly available on social media or websites make you a much easier target for hackers. Ensure that this information is hidden so that you can better protect yourself.