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How to Verify if a Letter from HMRC is Genuine. Scammers are becoming increasingly adept at fooling people. A favored tactic is a letter, text, or email purporting to be from HMRC, often promising a tax refund in exchange for personal and financial data.
Sep 9, 2024 · Directors of newly incorporated UK companies are receiving official-looking letters from “Company Registry” requiring them to pay a fee. It’s a scam – and potentially a very lucrative one. We’ve looked into who’s behind it and identified one individual who the authorities should be questioning.
Sep 30, 2024 · A legitimate HMRC letter will include the company’s unique tax reference (UTR). HMRC has published a list of their recent letters to help you confirm if a letter is genuine. The list can be found here .
- Scam Telephone Calls
- Scam Emails
- Scam Letters
- Suspicious Job Vacancies
- Pension Liberation Scams
- Company Register Payment Requests
Late filing penalty payment
Companies have been contacted asking for payment of a late filing penalty over the telephone. The caller says they’ll accept a payment of £5 by credit or debit to place a hold on any further action being taken. We will not contact you for immediate payment of a late filing penalty or request payment of a nominal fee to place a hold on any recovery action. Payment plans are set up with the agreement of the manager dealing with your late filing penalty query. We will not cold call you to take a...
Asking for your authentication code
We’ll never ask you what your authentication code is over the phone. If anyone calls you claiming to be from Companies House asking for your authentication code - try to get a return telephone number and contact us immediately on 0303 1234 500.
Asking for directors’ details
Companies have been telephoned by people claiming to be from Companies House, who request details of their company’s directors. After being advised there’s a discrepancy with the information held on the register, the caller requests information such as full dates of birth for directors. If anyone calls you claiming to be from Companies House asking for this information - try to get a return telephone number and contact us immediately on 0303 1234 500.
We’re aware of suspicious emails being sent that claim to be from Companies House. Some emails might have an attachment, such as a Word document, and may ask you to enter an authorisation code. These emails have not been generated by us. If you receive a suspicious email, you should report it to us immediately at phishing@companieshouse.gov.uk.
Letter about ‘payment code’
This is a scam letter asking for payment. Do not visit any webpage or QR code links, and do not make any payments to the details shown.
Letter from ‘Company Registry’ asking for payment
We’re aware of a scam letter from a sender called Company Registry asking for payment to confirm company details and activate a secure vault. This is a scam - do not send any money to the bank account shown. If you receive a suspicious letter, contact us immediately on 0303 1234 500. Never pay any money to the sender.
Letters from prosecuting solicitors asking for payment
We’re aware of a scam letter that appears to be from Companies House prosecuting solicitors. It asks for payment into a bank account to clear an outstanding invoice for ‘prior penalty negotiations’. We do not issue these letters. If you receive a suspicious letter, contact us immediately on 0303 1234 500. Never pay any money into the bank account shown.
We’re receiving email enquiries about job adverts in the UK. These adverts generally offer highly paid vacancies or opportunities in the oil, hotel or banking industries. The job adverts are often placed in print or on websites to appear genuine. Treat all job offers with extreme caution. The contact details are usually fake, and you should avoid r...
Pension scams are on the increase in the UK and under some schemes individuals have had limited companies set up in their name. If you believe you’ve had a company set up in your name, seek legal advice before taking any action to close it. Scams are promoted using terms such as an offer of unique investment opportunities, free pension review, lega...
Companies registered at Companies House are receiving notifications asking for money to maintain their company on a register. The companies concerned are receiving what looks like a genuine request from one of the following: 1. New Companies Register 2. Digital Companies Register 3. National Register of Companies 4. Economic Index for Europe 5. Reg...
Jan 24, 2023 · Letters: You can report scam HMRC letters by contacting the HMRC team the letter says it’s from, such as debt management. You can also report scam letters to the Royal Mail via its website for it to investigate.
Oct 16, 2024 · Scammers are becoming increasingly adept at fooling people and a favoured tactic is a letter, a text or an email purporting to be from HMRC, often promising a tax refund in exchange for personal and financial data.
Apr 10, 2024 · Beware of scammers pretending to be from the FCA. We’d never ask you to transfer money to us and we’d never ask for your bank account PINs and passwords. Find out how to spot fake FCA communications, the tactics scammers use and methods of contact. Anyone can be the target of a scam.
