Texts, emails, calls and messages
Tax refund texts, emails and calls that may be scams
For a text, email, call or app message that says it is from HMRC, above all one offering a tax refund. This page does not say who sent a message. It sets out the rules HMRC publishes, checks that do not rely on the message, and how to report it, with each source and the date it was checked.
Last reviewed 8 October 2026 · How Tax Letters checks its facts
The short answer
- What HMRC says about refund texts
- HMRC may send a text saying you are due a tax refund (a P800 refund) if it has sent a letter and had no response. GOV.UK says that text will not ask you for personal or financial information or provide any links to websites. [1]
- What HMRC says it will never do
- GOV.UK's page on reporting HMRC scams says you will never get an email, text message, message in an app or phone call from HMRC which asks for your personal or payment information. [2]
- How to report it
- Texts to 60599, emails to [email protected]. GOV.UK: report HMRC scams [2]
- If you already replied or paid
Every fact on this page comes from a source listed at the foot of the page, with the date it was last checked. All sources and dates
Set against HMRC's own rules
HMRC's own checklist says a contact could be a scam if it:
- rushes you
- is threatening
- is unexpected
- asks for personal information like bank details
- tells you to transfer money
- offers a refund, tax rebate or grant
It offers a refund
HMRC advises not to open any links or reply to a text message claiming to be from HMRC that offers you a tax refund in exchange for personal or financial details. HMRC may send a text saying you are due a tax refund (a P800 refund) if it has sent a letter and had no response. GOV.UK says that text will not ask you for personal or financial information or provide any links to websites. [1] [3]
It contains a link
GOV.UK says HMRC does send text messages to some customers, and that a text might include a link to GOV.UK information or to HMRC webchat. For a text about a refund, the refund card in this section gives GOV.UK's more specific rule. [3]
It asks for your details
GOV.UK's page on reporting HMRC scams says you will never get an email, text message, message in an app or phone call from HMRC which asks for your personal or payment information. GOV.UK's page on genuine HMRC text messages says: “HMRC will never ask for personal or financial information when we send text messages”. [1] [2]
It threatens you
HMRC says it will never leave a voicemail threatening legal action, and will never threaten arrest. Being threatening is on HMRC's checklist above. [3]
It rushes you
Rushing you is on HMRC's checklist above. [3]
It asks you to pay in an unusual way
HMRC says it will never ask you to pay with gift or payment vouchers. Telling you to transfer money is on HMRC's checklist above. [3]
Check it without using the message
Two checks do not rely on anything in the message. Sign in to your HMRC account yourself, from GOV.UK, rather than through a link or number in the message, and look there. And compare the message with HMRC's own list of genuine contacts. HMRC's lists describe emails, phone calls, letters and text messages it has recently issued. Not every HMRC communication is included. [4]
GOV.UK lists the text messages HMRC may send, what each one is for and, for many of them, what it will not do, such as ask for personal or financial information or link to websites. GOV.UK says HMRC sometimes uses more than one way to get in touch, for example a letter first and then an email, call or text message, and lists those contacts on one page. [1] [9]
Report it, or if you already clicked
A text message
GOV.UK says to send any suspicious text messages to 60599 (network charges apply) or email them to [email protected], then delete them. [2] [3]
An email
A suspicious email claiming to be from HMRC can be forwarded to [email protected]. [2]
A phone call
A phone call asking for personal information or threatening a lawsuit can be reported to HMRC online, through GOV.UK's page on reporting HMRC scams. GOV.UK: report HMRC scams [2]
A letter
For a suspicious letter, GOV.UK says to contact the HMRC team the letter says it is from, for example the Self Assessment team. [2]
You already gave some details
If you think you have given personal information in reply to a suspicious email or text, contact the HMRC security team at [email protected]. When you tell the HMRC security team what you gave away, GOV.UK says to include brief details of what you disclosed, for example a name, address, HMRC User ID or password, but not to give your personal details in the email. GOV.UK says that if you get HMRC sign in codes by text or voice call when you are not trying to sign in, it may mean someone has your sign in details, and that it would be sensible to change your password. [2] [10]
You lost money
If you have been the victim of a scam and lost money, GOV.UK says to report it to Report Fraud through its website, or to Police Scotland on 101 if you live in Scotland. GOV.UK says to contact your bank immediately if you have recently transferred funds to a third party and believe you have been scammed. GOV.UK says that if you have been a victim of an online scam, you can contact Victim Support by phone on 08 08 16 89 111. [3] [10]
GOV.UK says the email address and phone number you report from will be shared with other organisations if that is necessary to close down the scam. [2]
If one of these is you
It came on WhatsApp or another app
HMRC says it will not contact you by WhatsApp for any reason other than the UK Government Channel, which you choose to subscribe to and which sends single message alerts you cannot reply to. A suspicious message in an app, for example WhatsApp, can be reported by taking a screenshot and emailing it to [email protected]. [2] [3]
It has a QR code
HMRC uses QR codes in its letters, usually leading to guidance on GOV.UK, and says it will tell you if a code goes anywhere else and that you will never be taken to a page where you have to put in personal information. When you are signed in to your HMRC account it may use a QR code to redirect you, for example to your bank's login page. GOV.UK says suspicious emails containing QR codes can be sent to [email protected] and then deleted. [3]
It came through social media
HMRC says it will never use social media to offer a tax rebate or to request personal or financial information. Details of an account claiming to be HMRC that you cannot verify can be emailed to [email protected]. [3]
Sources
Each source is linked, with the date Tax Letters last checked it.
- GOV.UK: Check if a text message you've received from HMRC is genuine (checked 7 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK: Report scam HMRC messages, calls and social media accounts (checked 7 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK: Identify tax scams by phone, text, email or social media (checked 7 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK: Check a list of genuine HMRC contacts (checked 7 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK: Check if an email you've received from HMRC is genuine (checked 8 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK: Check if a phone call you've received from HMRC is genuine (checked 8 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK: Check if a letter you've received from HMRC is genuine (checked 8 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK: Check if a QR code on a letter you've received from HMRC is genuine (checked 8 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK: Check genuine HMRC contact that uses more than one communication method (checked 8 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK: Keeping your HMRC sign in details safe (checked 8 Oct 2026)