Tax refund text message - scam?

sleepymans

Something odd received by text today, can anyone confirm if it's a scam please?

The text shows as being from
(Gov-Uk)

Text is as follows:
Your tax refund is ready!
Please complete the form below in order for us to process your tax refund.
[url]Http://bit.do/Gov-Tax-Refund[/url]

When I click on the link a very genuinely HMRC branded refund form (though without the usual form reference number on) which strangely shows an amount of £265.84 due to be refunded, but strangely not showing my name and address or anything else to link it to me personally. However it is a sum which might well be about what they owe me!

It needs me to put my payment details in, which is the red flag!
Why would they need my Card verification code if they were sending money to my account rather than taking it!

I am assuming it's a scam and will ignore it....but posting here as a warning to others.

:money:

glentoran99

Of course its a scam

booksurr

do you really need to ask this question???

why have you not thought to read HMRC's own guidance on how it communicates with taxpayers????

https://www.gov.uk/topic/dealing-with-hmrc/phishing-scams

Smodlet

As if they would send a text message!

LutonGirl

I had an email last week from "no-reply-hm-revenue-customs-email@no-reply.co.uk"

Subject: | Important | Your Tax Has Been Refund of 90.28 GB

Dear Applicant
I am sending this email to announce: After the last annual calculation of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of 90.28 GB.
We have attached the tax return form with the TAX REFUND NUMBER ID: UK321718269-HMRC.
Complete the tax return form by clicking on the link below:
https://www.hmrc.gov.uk/
Thank you not to respond directly to this email, your post would not be treated.
Your sincerely,
MR JACOB N WHITE.
HMRC Tax Credit Office
TAX REFUND ID:UK321718269-HMR

Once the phishers and scammers learn how to write properly they might have more luck reeling someone in. Laugh and delete.

sleepymans

booksurr wrote: »

do you really need to ask this question???

why have you not thought to read HMRC's own guidance on how it communicates with taxpayers????

https://www.gov.uk/topic/dealing-with-hmrc/phishing-scams

No need to be so snipey. I posted as much to warn others as to ask if it was a scam. Believe me the HMRC branded form that was attached was exactly like all the genuine ones available on the HMRC website for downloading.

As for them not texting......who knows....they email and phone, and many many financial orgs DO use text these days.

If only you were as polite as you are well informed.

Jamiesmum

sleepymans wrote: »

No need to be so snipey. I posted as much to warn others as to ask if it was a scam. Believe me the HMRC branded form that was attached was exactly like all the genuine ones available on the HMRC website for downloading.

As for them not texting......who knows....they email and phone, and many many financial orgs DO use text these days.

If only you were as polite as you are well informed.

Of course it looked genuine, that's the point! As far as I know HMRC woud never ring you, text you, or email you over a tax refund.

ManAtHome

If you do online returns, HMRC may email you but only to say you have a new message - they don't provide a(ny) link in their emails.

sleepymans

LutonGirl wrote: »

I had an email last week from "no-reply-hm-revenue-customs-email@no-reply.co.uk"

Subject: | Important | Your Tax Has Been Refund of 90.28 GB

Dear Applicant
I am sending this email to announce: After the last annual calculation of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of 90.28 GB.
We have attached the tax return form with the TAX REFUND NUMBER ID: UK321718269-HMRC.
Complete the tax return form by clicking on the link below:
https://www.hmrc.gov.uk/
Thank you not to respond directly to this email, your post would not be treated.
Your sincerely,
MR JACOB N WHITE.
HMRC Tax Credit Office
TAX REFUND ID:UK321718269-HMR

Once the phishers and scammers learn how to write properly they might have more luck reeling someone in. Laugh and delete.

Of course the example you gave was easy to spot because of the very poor language. Unfortunately the form I was sent was completely the same as the downloadable HMRC forms available on the genuine website. Apart from it not having a form number like R60 for example.

People could easily be misled.
This was the reason for my OP.