The text landed at 7.15am, while Dev was still waiting for the kettle. “HMRC: You are due a tax refund of £244.79. Claim now.” A link sat underneath, and for three seconds the Bradford electrician’s thumb hovered over it. He files a tax return every year, so a refund felt believable. That pause is what this guide is for. An HMRC text scam is built to look official, but it always carries tells, and once you know them you can spot every one before breakfast.
HMRC Text Scams at a Glance
| Biggest red flag | A text offering a tax refund with a link to claim it |
| What HMRC never does by text | Ask for personal or bank details, or demand payment through a link |
| Genuine refund and penalty texts | Contain no links at all |
| Report a suspect text | Forward it to 60599 (your network rate) and to 7726 (free) |
| Report a suspect email | phishing@hmrc.gov.uk |
| If you lost money | Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040; Police Scotland on 101 |
| Peak scam season | November to the 31 January Self Assessment deadline |
The 7.15am Text That Nearly Fooled Dev
Dev’s text looked real for a good reason. Scammers can fake the sender name, so a message labelled “HMRC” may drop into the very thread where genuine HMRC texts already sit. The number told him nothing either, because spoofing software hides it behind that official-looking label. His morning was hardly unusual: HMRC was alerted to more than 135,500 suspected scams between February and December 2025, and Ofcom research from February 2026 found 40% of UK mobile users had received at least one suspicious message in the previous three months. The trick relies on speed, a believable amount (£244.79, not a round £250) and a link that wants a decision before your tea cools. Knowing how to report a scam text in the UK turns that jolt of panic into a one-minute routine.
What HMRC Will Never Put in a Text
One test settles most cases at a glance. HMRC says it will never ask for personal or financial information by text, never offer a tax refund in exchange for your details, and never send a link leading to a page that wants your bank information. It will not threaten arrest or leave voicemails about legal action either. The official GOV.UK scam checklist adds more tells: a message that rushes you, threatens you, arrives out of the blue, or tells you to transfer money. Dev’s text failed on three counts at once, because no genuine refund is ever claimed through a text link. When money really is owed, the real way to claim a tax refund online runs through your own HMRC account, not a message.
Yes, HMRC Really Does Send Texts
Here is the confusing part: HMRC genuinely texts millions of people, which is exactly why the fakes work. GOV.UK keeps a public list of every live campaign, and it is worth a look. Debt recovery texts run from 15 June to 14 December 2026, complaint-receipt texts have gone out since 27 April 2026, and from 24 August 2026 HMRC may text to say a P800 tax refund is being processed. Notice the pattern in that last one: the genuine refund text contains no link and asks for nothing, it simply tells you to wait. A real HMRC text only ever links to GOV.UK information or webchat. Compare that with the official HMRC app, where genuine messages sit safely inside your account rather than in a random thread.
The January Refund Scam Wave
Timing gives the game away too. Scammers flood phones in the weeks before the 31 January Self Assessment deadline, when millions of people half-expect to hear from the taxman. HMRC received more than 170,000 scam referrals in the year to 31 July 2025, and over 47,000 of those dangled a fake tax refund. By December 2025 it had logged 4,800 Self Assessment scams and around 29,000 fake refund claims in ten months. HMRC’s own security chief has said criminals deliberately strike when returns are being prepared. Dev’s text arrived in early October, right as he started gathering receipts, which is precisely the window fraudsters aim for. Filing early helps here: once you file your Self Assessment online, a surprise “refund” text loses its hook instantly.
The 2026 Twist: Winter Fuel Repayment Texts
This year brought a fresh angle aimed at older phones. Around two million pensioners with incomes over £35,000 must repay their Winter Fuel Payment, and HMRC logged more than 25,000 winter fuel scam referrals in the year to April 2026 as criminals jumped on the story. The fakes demand repayment through a link or ask for bank details to “process” the money. The truth is far duller: for most people the repayment happens automatically through a tax code change from April 2026, with no action needed at all. HMRC has stated plainly that it will never text or email anyone asking them to repay a Winter Fuel Payment or hand over bank details. It is the same playbook as the Royal Mail “delivery fee” text scam: borrow a headline, add urgency, harvest details.
The 30-Second Check That Settles It
So how did Dev find out for certain? He never tapped the link. Instead he put the phone down, opened his laptop, typed gov.uk into the browser himself and signed in to his Government Gateway account. A real refund always shows up there, in your personal tax account, with its own secure claim route. His showed nothing owed, case closed, kettle boiled. That habit beats any amount of squinting at sender names. You can also check the message wording against GOV.UK’s list of genuine campaigns, which is updated whenever a new text goes out. Thirty seconds of typing an address yourself will always be safer than one tap on a link somebody else chose for you.
Where to Send the Evidence
Deleting a scam text feels tidy, but reporting it first does real damage to the people behind it. Forward the message to 60599, HMRC’s dedicated reporting number, which is charged at your normal network rate. Send it to 7726 as well, the free cross-network service that tells your mobile provider to investigate and block the sender. Screenshots and dodgy emails go to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk, and suspicious phone calls have their own online form on GOV.UK. Leave out your National Insurance number and card details when you report, then delete the text. Each report feeds investigations that shut down fake sites, nearly 25,000 fake websites and phone numbers in ten months at the last count, and what happens after you report to Report Fraud is more satisfying than most people expect.
If You Already Tapped or Paid
Maybe you are reading this a moment too late, with the link already tapped or the “fee” already paid. Move fast and skip the self-blame, because these operations fool careful people every week. Call your bank straight away, either on the number on your card or by dialling 159, the anti-scam line that connects you to 26 UK banks (call costs vary by provider). Then report the crime to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or at reportfraud.police.uk, open weekdays 8am to 8pm by phone and 24/7 online; in Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101. After that, work through what to do if you clicked a scam link, and if details left your hands, what to do if you gave a scammer your bank details. Speed, not shame, decides how much comes back.
What Dev Did with His Text
Dev forwarded his fake refund to 60599 and 7726, deleted it, and drank his tea. Total time: about a minute. That is the whole defence against an HMRC text scam, really. Treat every refund link as fake, remember that genuine HMRC texts never ask for details, and do your checking inside your own tax account instead of someone else’s link. Next time a £244.79 windfall pings your phone at 7.15am, you’ll know exactly what to do with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell if a text from HMRC is genuine?
A genuine HMRC text never asks for personal or bank details and never links to a refund claim page. Refund and penalty texts contain no links at all.
Does HMRC ever send text messages?
Yes. HMRC texts about debt recovery, complaints, Child Benefit and more. GOV.UK lists every live campaign, and genuine texts link only to GOV.UK guidance or webchat.
Will HMRC text me about a tax refund?
Since August 2026 HMRC may text to say a P800 refund is being processed. That message has no link and requests nothing; refund-claim links are always scams.
What number do I forward HMRC scam texts to?
Forward suspicious texts to 60599, charged at your network rate, and to 7726, which is free. Suspicious emails go to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk before you delete them.
What if I clicked the link in an HMRC scam text?
Contact your bank immediately, on 159 if it takes part, then report to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland on 101.
Disclaimer: This article is general information, not financial or legal advice. Scam tactics and reporting routes change, so check GOV.UK for the latest official guidance. Figures were correct as of September 2026.