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Birmingham, UK, Jan, 2022 -- HMRC has issued an update on its crackdown against fraudsters who pretend they are calling from the UK tax office.

In the last year, it has responded to 670,793 referrals of suspicious contact from the public, with 283,157 of these cases offering bogus tax rebates. Others threaten arrest for tax evasion or offer fake financial support.

A number of scams originate overseas with HMRC saying India is now a "key international partner" in the battle to stamp out nuisance calls.

It revealed that dozens of people were arrested at a call centre in Delhi following a probe into scammers pretending to be phoning from the tax office.

The good news is that numbers of scam calls have dropped significantly, HMRC said, but officials are still urging people to be vigilant.

Latest HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures issued today show that reports of scam HMRC phone calls have fallen by a whopping 97 per cent over the last 12 months.

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Reports of scammers impersonating HMRC in phone calls peaked at 79,477 in March 2021 and fell to just 2,491 in December 2021.

The fall in scam reports to HMRC has also been seen elsewhere with a 92 per cent drop in reports of phishing emails and a 97 per cent drop in scam text reports over the last year.

HMRC said the big drop also signalled that the public is more aware of cybercriminals and the methods they use to trick people.

Mike Fell, HMRC’s Head of Cyber Security Operations, said: "We work incredibly hard to protect the public from these criminals who ruin lives by stealing from people.

"It's great news that fewer people are receiving and reporting these attempted frauds, but it is still important they continue to report suspicious contact to us. We will continue to do everything we can to protect the public from these cynical attempts to impersonate HMRC to steal from people.

"Our advice is to never let yourself be rushed. If someone contacts you saying they are from HMRC, wanting you to urgently transfer money or give personal information, be on your guard. HMRC will never ring up threatening arrest, only criminals do that. Contacts like these should set alarm bells ringing, so take your time and check HMRC scams advice on GOV.UK."

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Posted by Veronica Silva Cusi, news correspondent
Source: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk