{"id":2288,"date":"2022-10-12T13:36:25","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T13:36:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.robbtax.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2288"},"modified":"2022-10-12T13:36:55","modified_gmt":"2022-10-12T13:36:55","slug":"self-assessment-customers-could-be-a-target-for-fraudsters-as-deadline-approaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robbtax.co.uk\/blog\/self-assessment-customers-could-be-a-target-for-fraudsters-as-deadline-approaches\/","title":{"rendered":"Self Assessment customers could be a target for fraudsters as deadline approaches"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the deadline for returning paper Self Assessment tax returns for the 2021 to 2022 tax year rapidly approaching, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has warned taxpayers to be on the lookout for fraudsters.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

HMRC says it has responded to more than 180,000 referrals of suspicious contact from the public, in the 12 months to August 2022, of which almost 81,000 were scams offering fake tax rebates.<\/p>\n

For paper files, the Self Assessment deadline is 31 October 2022 and for those filing online, the date is 31 January 2023.<\/p>\n

HMRC urges caution<\/strong><\/p>\n

In spite of the approaching deadline, HMRC has warned people not to rush into anything if they are contacted out of the blue.<\/p>\n

Conmen have targeted individuals by offering bogus tax rebates and even threatening arrest for tax evasion.<\/p>\n

Taxpayers should be suspicious of cold calls, unexpected emails or messages. It\u2019s not normal for legitimate organisations to contact you and ask for sensitive information if you\u2019re not expecting them to.<\/p>\n

If you are contacted by phone, the advice is to hang up if you are not 100 per cent convinced about the identity of the caller.<\/p>\n

HMRC has shared a\u00a0checklist on GOV.UK<\/a>\u00a0and identified a number of scams, asking:<\/p>\n