UK Scam Alert: The Fake Police Calls and Tax Scams to Watch Out For Right Now
Every spring I see a wave of scam-related repair jobs. People who've installed "support software" they were told to, clicked links in emails they thought were from HMRC, or sent money to someone pretending to be the police. These scams work because they're convincing, not because the people who fall for them are daft.
These are the four scams doing the rounds in the UK right now, what they sound like, and how to stop them working on you or the people you care about.
1. The Fake Police Call
Your phone rings. A calm, professional voice says they're from the Metropolitan Police, Action Fraud, or your bank's fraud team. They tell you your account has been used in a fraud investigation, or that someone was just arrested using your details. They need you to move your money to a "safe account", or buy gift cards, or withdraw cash and hand it to a courier.
How to spot it: The real police will never ask you to move money, withdraw cash, or buy gift cards. Ever. If someone on the phone is asking you to do any of those things, it's a scam, even if they sound completely official and know some of your details.
What to do: Hang up. Wait 10 minutes (scammers can keep a call open from their end). Then call 101 or your bank using the number on your card to check.
2. The HMRC Tax Refund
The UK tax year just ended on April 5th, and scammers know most people are expecting to hear something from HMRC. So they send out fake "You're due a refund of £XXX, click here to claim" emails and texts. The site looks real. It asks for your bank details "to pay the refund in". It's not real.
How to spot it: HMRC never notifies you of a refund by email or text. Never. If you're due money back, they write to you by post, or it shows up in your online tax account when you log in yourself. Anything clickable claiming to be from HMRC is almost always a scam.
What to do: Don't click. Forward the text to 7726 (free, goes to your network's scam-filtering team) or forward the email to report@phishing.gov.uk. Then delete it.
3. The "Martin Lewis" Crypto Ad
You've seen them on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube: an ad or article featuring Martin Lewis (or sometimes Holly Willoughby, Jeremy Clarkson or Elon Musk) endorsing a crypto investment scheme. "I made £30,000 in a month" etc. The ads use real photos, sometimes AI-generated video, and they lead to polished-looking websites that ask for a deposit.
How to spot it: Martin Lewis has publicly stated, repeatedly and in court, that he endorses no financial products. None. If you see his face attached to any investment, it's fake. Same for any other celebrity "secret" or "they don't want you to know about this" investment pitch.
What to do: Report the ad to the platform (Facebook, Instagram etc. all have a "Report ad" button). Never enter payment details. If you already have, call your bank immediately.
4. The "Pension Provider" Call
Someone claiming to be from your pension provider, a financial adviser, or a "free pension review service" contacts you. They offer a review, a transfer to a "higher-return" scheme, or want to "verify your details". The Pensions Regulator has warned that this is one of the fastest-growing categories of UK scam targeting people over 50.
How to spot it: Unsolicited pension contact is banned by law in the UK. If someone rings you out of the blue about your pension, it's almost certainly a scam. Full stop. Legitimate financial advisers don't cold-call.
What to do: Hang up. Check the Financial Services Register on the FCA's website (register.fca.org.uk) before doing anything with any financial firm. If you're worried you might have already engaged with one, contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
If It's Already Happened
If you've clicked something you shouldn't have, installed software on your PC, or given out bank details:
- Call your bank right now. The number on the back of your card. Don't wait. Most UK banks have 24/7 fraud lines.
- Change your passwords. Email first, because that's usually the one attackers use to reset everything else.
- Run a full scan with Windows Defender or your antivirus. See my post on whether you actually need antivirus for what I recommend.
- If you installed "support software" (AnyDesk, TeamViewer, something they walked you through), that's a remote-access tool. Get the PC looked at. Anything on it could have been copied or changed while they had access.
How to Report Scams
- Scam text → forward to
7726(spells SPAM, free on all UK networks) - Scam email → forward to
report@phishing.gov.uk - Scam website → report at ncsc.gov.uk
- Fraud of any kind → Action Fraud on
0300 123 2040or actionfraud.police.uk
Reporting is worth the two minutes it takes. The scam filters on mobile networks and the NCSC's Suspicious Email Reporting Service both work off volume. The more people report, the faster the fraud gets shut down.
For more on staying safe online, see my guides on keeping your PC safe for online banking and spotting fake virus warning popups.
Mark has been fixing computers since the late '90s and went self-employed in 2008. Based in St Helens since 2013, he works evenings and weekends from his home in Laffak — friendly, affordable repairs for PCs, laptops, and Macs. See reviews on Google
Think you've been scammed? Or had someone on your PC?
If you've let someone remote in, installed dodgy software, or just want your PC checked over — get in touch and I'll have a proper look.