However, this all forms part of an elaborate ‘phishing’ ruse, designed to steal people’s personal details, as HMRC has absolutely nothing to do with this message.
This could have devastating consequences, as criminals look to use bank details to steal money, or personal details to commit identity fraud.
Sadly, this type of scam is rife, with HMRC responding to 65,596 reports of phone scams in total in the last year.
The Revenue has worked with the telecoms industry and Ofcom to remove 142 phone numbers over the last year which were used to commit HMRC-related phone scams.
The scam has been widely reported and often targets elderly and vulnerable people, so it is important to stay on one’s guard.