Do you the HMRC phone you personally?

WilliamO

Hello

I was out working today and was told by my flatmate that I had received a call from the HMRC. Is this possible that they would ring my landline? I always thought they wrote letters and never send e-mails and phone calls?

Regards

WilliamO

cardiffgrad1

When I was working at the tax office, I sometimes phoned people, so yes it is possible. But don't worry - they probably just want to check or clarify something.

DVardysShadow

cardiffgrad1 wrote: »

When I was working at the tax office, I sometimes phoned people, so yes it is possible. But don't worry - they probably just want to check or clarify something.

No, do beware. The tax office may phone. And it could be a scam. If you are told you have a refund and they need bank details, it's a scam, so tell them to write - not email.

DCFC79

If there was a refund would it not come by post ? id treat it with caution.

InsideInsurance

DVardysShadow wrote: »

No, do beware

There is a difference between worrying and be aware of scams.

They do sometimes ring but it isn't that common. Obviously be 1000% sure you know who you are speaking to before giving any personal information, as always.

kingfisherblue

I had a phone call a few weeks ago, asking me to confirm personal details before they would discuss the reason for them ringing. I refused and asked for a letter - needless to say, no such letter has arrived.

Evilm

Verify the telephone number for them from another source - such as the official HMRC website. Then phone the number you get from the official source. See if they do have a person of that name and a query open fo you.

WilliamO

Thanks everyone.

Just spoke to my flatmate again and he said the number was hidden (unknown caller) and when he said "would you like William to call you back" they replied "No, we will just call again another time".

So what should I do? Ignore everything? Also, if the real HMRC ring, do they leave a 0845 number or something?

Regards

WilliamO

cardiffgrad1

It's not that uncommon for the tax office to ring..my colleagues used to do it too. And it doesn't necessarily mean there's something drastically wrong either. It could just mean something needs clarification.

Yes, for data protection you have to ask security questions, so that info isn't given to wrong person. I understand that a lot of people don't feel comfortable answering these questions when it could be anyone phoning, but it's the process that you're supposed to go through.

It probably would be an unknown number because I imagine the tax office don't want people getting hold of their internal phone numbers!

Obviously, you are well within your rights to say 'no, I don't feel comfortable talking to you over the phone, please put it in a letter.'I would phone them and see what it's about.

hcb42

I would ignore it. Unless you have reason to believe they might ring.

There are loads of scams about, I would not waste money phoning back, and if you do , invariably whoever answers will have no clue where to put your call.

If it was the real HMRC and they actually need you, they will write. I would never confirm personal details on inbound calls either, I tell them to write (that's all organisations, not just HMRC!)

kingfisherblue

cardiffgrad1 wrote: »

It's not that uncommon for the tax office to ring..my colleagues used to do it too. And it doesn't necessarily mean there's something drastically wrong either. It could just mean something needs clarification.

Yes, for data protection you have to ask security questions, so that info isn't given to wrong person. I understand that a lot of people don't feel comfortable answering these questions when it could be anyone phoning, but it's the process that you're supposed to go through.

It probably would be an unknown number because I imagine the tax office don't want people getting hold of their internal phone numbers!

Obviously, you are well within your rights to say 'no, I don't feel comfortable talking to you over the phone, please put it in a letter.'I would phone them and see what it's about.

I refused to give personal information out because I didn't want it to get into the wrong hands - how do you know it really is the tax office and not a scammer?

I have heard lots of advice about not giving out personal details, yet that is what is requested by phone. I wasn't expecting a call from HMRC, especially at 8am when I'm busy getting my son ready for the school bus. Therefore I requested a letter and since no letter has arrived, I can only assume that it wasn't HMRC, so presumably I was correct in not giving date of birth, full address, etc.

If HMRC are going to ring, I think that they should gave a detail that is unlikely to be known by a scammer - maybe the middle two numbers of you NI number, or the letter at the end. I don't think it is appropriate for them to expect people to give personal details to confirm their identity, when HMRC cannot confirm that they are indeed HMRC.