To think this was a scam and to have hung up?

[looseddaughter]

I'm sure it was but feel a bit unnerved now. Had a phone call claiming t be from HMRC accusing me of committing tax fraud and saying there is a warrant out for my arrest and my assets will be frozen (bank account seems fine - just checked it). The man sounded foreign and it wasn't convincing at all. I ended it when he kept saying 'why did you do such a thing, m'am?'

I didn't give any details except confirming my house number and postcode, which I obviously regret now. Did I do right to end it and can I report it to someone?

It's a very common scam. As a general rule, if someone is trying to really hurry you into action with a threat, it's very likely a scam. There's another scam where they pretend your internet connection will be cut off in 24 hours unless you make a payment. Well, any internet provider would want to keep your business and would give you several reminders before cutting you off. It's the same with this scam. HMRC doesn't tell you you've underpaid taxes and already have a warrant out for your arrest. You would definitely know about the underpaid tax before it came to that!

I didn't give any details except confirming my house number and postcode

When you say this, did you tell the scammer anything, or did you just say "that's right" when he gave the address?

Either way, be alert to potential further scams.

"Do this now or Bad Things will happen" is a classic scammer technique. They aim to make you panic so your scepticism switches off. Of course it's not the only con but it's often used.

Scam
Scammers

@looseddaughter
I haven't read all the replies and not going to as late (early) lol and time for bed.
HMRC would not ring you like that unsolicited.
They always write to you.
Please don't worry.
If you can't shake feeling anxious give them a ring to put your mind at rest x

@Fairyliz

If you have time it can be fun to string these along, at least it stops them bothering anyone else. The last one gave me a name and I asked him if his mum would be proud of him trying to scam people for a living. He put the phone down on me!

I said similar to one of the Microsoft scammers. He told me they wouldn't but he needed work, and we ended up having quite a long conversation about it as he sounded quite sad. He had excellent English so I hope he walked out and found other work!

I've had it too - I just hung up.
My 86 year old Dad also had it - he also hung up.
That was a year ago - nothing else has happened since - it's definitely a scam.

I had one that said the police would be at my door in 30 minutes if I did not pay.
They hung up when I said that I had a shotgun and would shoot first!

@UniversalAunt

Since I gave my name & phone number, per COVID regulations, I have been getting spurious text messages about unpaid bills (URL embedded for further details) & calls from an unknown numbers.

I tried one of the missed unknown numbers & got a system message that it does not exist. Highly unlikely technical glitch, but I am now more careful than before.

I don't know what you mean about covid reguations but if you phone back the number that appears on your phone when you get a scam call it' always says it doesn't exist, that's how you know it was a scammer then you block it.

Dented own, I LOVE your son!

YABU to even have to ask

There's a really interesting podcast about these scammers - gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/6nh3wk. It's a two parter where they investigate the call centre making the fake Microsoft calls.

Total scam. I know they probably catch people on the back foot and some elderly people but think about it logically if you owed the HMRC any monies you will have been written to first and probably they will have been a few letters or conversations with them. Ist contact is not them phoning you and threatening jail for monies owed. I had a text the other day about my mobile phone bill that it hadn't been paid and to send them my details. 2nd time I have got one of these. Another scam.

Are people getting these calls on their landline I wonder because I have never got a scam call on my mobile only my landline which I know is going out of fashion.

I have BT call protect where I can have a list of phone numbers who can call me direct. All other calls go into a voice mail. I can also specify times these calls can get through.

Well I'm in a terrible way...

My PayPal account has been suspended
My Amazon prime subscription has expired
My Internet Connection is connected to Fraud
My bank account has fraudulent activity on it
HMRC - didn't quite catch what but American automated & I'm in trouble...

.and 'is this Mrs N?' (Previous owner & I've been here over a decade' Usual reply to that one is 'only if you can speak to the dead'

They can be a bit unnerving though. I really feel for the vulnerable.

I did the tall tale telling one yesterday

The Aviva accident... horse in a dress followed by a tin man also in a dress.

Must have been a British person as they laughed before they put the phone down!

Don't feel bad at all OP. Everyone gets caught off guard on occasion.

Recently I received a text from a random number saying "sorry, meant to send you this on Monday" with a link attached. I had a kid screaming at me in one ear, tv blaring, I was frantically trying to get dinner ready with one hand and had my phone in the other, and I happened to have been to an appointment on Monday, so in the heat of the moment I assumed it must be related to that and I almost clicked the link. I realised what I was doing just in time. Had I been just a touch more stressed out/busy in that moment, I would have clicked that link.

Happens to the best of us.

When DS was the right age I used to tell him there was a man who wanted to know all about Thomas the Tank Engine and put him on. As DS could discuss T the T for hours, it was fitting punishment.

My DD got one of these last week, she’s 15

Also get emails from (apparently) TV licensing telling me the bank has not paid my direct debit this month and your licence is about to expire and please click this link to update your bank details urgently - think that's a fairly common one.
Plus just today I've come home from shopping to my son saying there was a call on the landline from someone with a foreign accent saying someone in the area has been stealing my Wi-Fi. So I said did he identify himself as being from the broadband provider, ask for me by name (as the account holder) or ask any security questions....funnily enough, no... son ended the call but no doubt they would have requested my password or 'we can stop this happening if you pay x amount for added security' or something similar... bloody scammers are up to everything

I quite enjoy getting this one as I usually ask them lots of legal questions about precisely which bit of the tax system I have defrauded etc.

Having spent many years working on tax investigations I can tell you that if you are being reviewed by HMRC for fraud you will either be notified by letter or will be the subject of a dawn raid. If the latter I can confirm you will be more than well aware of the fact that you have been committing tax fraud - probably on a large scale and for a number of years.....

Omg I had this the other week and absolutely crapped myself at the voicemail that was left. Even ended up texting my ex bf as he’s a police officer and he reassured me it’s definitely a scan