HMRC clamps down on fraudulent text messages

Many scam text messages have been halted before they reach taxpayers’ phones according to HMRC.

The department working with public and private partners began a pilot in April 2017 to combat these messages. The new technology identifies fraud texts with ‘tags’ that suggest they are from HMRC and stops them being delivered. Since the pilot began there has been a 90% reduction in taxpayer reports of these spoof messages HMRC said.

Messages will usually include links to websites that harvest personal information or spread malware. This can lead to identity fraud and the theft of a person’s savings.

Text message scams can appear more legitimate than email because they tend to display ‘HMRC’ as the sender. The department said anyone who receives a text message claiming to be from the department offering a ‘tax refund’ in exchange for personal or financial details should not respond and...