Although the extra SEISS grants have been incredibly helpful for many businesses, there have been some issues with regards to fraud. Unfortunately, fraudsters have been able to obtain SEISS grants by using innocent taxpayers’ Government Gateway IDs and passwords.
In order to gain extra money, fraudsters will first check that the ID they have managed to capture works. From here, they will submit false tax returns to claim tax refunds.
How Will I Know If I Have Been A Victim Of Fraud?
HMRC is aware of the SEISS scams and has been writing to taxpayers who have claimed a tax refund that looks out of place compared to their tax history. There are currently two versions of this letter that are used in different circumstances.
The first version is used where a taxpayer’s unique tax reference number (UTR) has been used; this letter will ask the taxpayer to call HMRC and confirm particular details. The second version will be used in more serious cases, which will ask the taxpayer to complete an R38 tax refund form. This will need to be returned with evidence of their ID and other personal information that the fraudster may not know, such as current employment or pension details.
If you receive one of these letters from HMRC, we highly recommend that you discuss this with our team urgently. We will need to ensure that HMRC is responded to quickly so that your tax records are not compromised, and you are not blocked from receiving a genuine tax repayment.