08453003950

I found an ans m/c message on the afternnon of 23rd Dec 2008, demanding that I phone them no later than 6pm the next day.... that was Christmas Eve!!! Sorry but I have a life and just ignored it. If it is Tax Credits, then they should be commended for being so quick to chase me for for money, as they dont have a clue at whatever else they should be doing!... not sure who is worse CSA or tax Credits....
It was so urgent that havent heard anything else since.

PS: If it was to do with overpayments and them wanting their money back, why did my tax credit weekly income into the bank go up the very same week? Confused.com!!!!

Just had a call from this number on my mobile.  I rejected the call as I didn't recognise the number, googled it, and here I am.

I’ve read through the postings with great interest.  

I actually used to work for HMRC in a department known as BETP (Banking and Electronic Transfer Payments) and did more than my fair share on the phones.  I can tell you one very important fact; we NEVER worked on a Saturday (which it is today).  

Another, is that I NEVER give my mobile number to anyone other than friends and family, and came here expecting to see lots of people complaining about telesales, offers of mobile upgrades etc, and how their service provider must have sold on their details.

Seems that there IS some form of scam going on here, and I suspect that those saying that it really is an HMRC number are those who coincidentally have a dispute with the tax office.  If I was a scammer and had someones name, address, telephone number, national insurance number, and then established that they had a debt, it would be simple to call HMRC claiming to be them and have the details sent to them again.  Hence reports of genuine correspondence from the tax office.  Next I would probably set up a direct payment or debit over the phone, for convenience sake of course.

So now on top of all the other details I’ve now got their banking details, and most likely a monthly transfer from you into some foreign account.  Bring on the identity fraud!

Now I wished I'd answered and want them to call back.  When they do, like a previous poster, I shall be reporting the call to both HMRC and Oftcom (or whoever), and suspect it will take only a few minutes to do this on the Net.

To future readers, this definitely is not a genuine customs number and no personal details should ever be given to cold callers.

Hope this helps.

Jim

Got a call Wed 4th Feb about 7:30pm wanted me to supply all my personnal details, which I refused. This is the second such call from a similiar number in as many months. Scottish women seemed to loose her bottle when questioned.
Did some research on this on this, if you go to or paste the link http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=14862109
into your browser, the alleged respected site says its HMRC debt collection and lists many more - fancy it may be genuine but what a bunch of prats,  don't tell them a thing. They should be writing to you in the first instance. Get a full name, an address call back numbers or any information you can about them post it here and write in to your HMRC Child Tax credits office to complain.
This is inviting fraud from the Govnt department (HMRC) who lost all our personal data a year or two back by sending DVD or CD disc's through the post - for all you know it could be those disc's coming to light for a sinister purpose!!!
There are several similiar numbers they ring from.
0845 300.... numbers are minicom used by govnt - and others if they pay I suspect, so trust nobody
What a bunch of devious untrustworthy thoughtless prats.

Called from this number 7:30 Wed 4th Feb 2009, so it's still being used. Scots lady wanted`all my details which i refused.

This stinks - get sll your details then you get scammed but did sound convincing claiming to be HMRC  Child tax credits, but they have no record of any such action or enquiry.

I just had my tenth call from them today 13:01pm. I found it unusual as they usually call on a sunday trying to scam me.
Guy with an english accent asking for details for 'security purposes' I informed him that i was not comfortable sharing these over the phone and to make a not in my details that my telephone number was no longer in use. He said he cant without security which i know is a lie as i used to work for halifax and we can stop calls to a customer then confirm this with them in writing.
He then gave me the 08453021420 number to call back on before 8pm tomorrow. Umm no. I am now writing a letter to hmrc stating that i no longer have a working telephone and all correspondance should be sent by post.

I work for revenue and customs and can confirm this is a genuine number ring it back you dont have to give any incriminating details .

I have just had this call yesterday (a Sunday). A voicemail message was left on my mobile phone, a number I have given to HMRC. The elderly lady with a Scottish accent left the same message, to call HMRC by 8.00 pm today (Monday) on 0845 302 1427. She gave my correct UTR, rather she misread two digits once then corrected the number.

Every time I have tried that number today it has been engaged, so I called my main tax office. They told me that the call was not from HMRC and I should not call the number provided.

So, either those stating here that this is a legitimate call from HMRC debt recovery are lying and part of the scam, which I do not believe. Or HMRC debt recovery are not communicating properly with the individuals' tax offices, are using contact methods which look like a scam and are bringing HMRC into serious disrepute. I believe it is the latter, I wouldn't be surprised to be contacted by HMRC debt recovery, not because I owe any tax - my account is in credit, but because I have some overdue tax returns.

Nevertheless having mysterious and slightly threatening messages left on a mobile phone giving a number which is constantly engaged is not a way in which a government agency should be behaving. I would welcome a response from some of the HMRC staff here who have been condoning this practice and assuring us that it is legitimate.

Bob

Further to my previous comment I have now spoken to HMRC debt recovery on a number I have from previous correspondence. They confirmed that the call from Scotland was legitimate, as is the 0845 302 1427 number.

The lady I spoke to apologised for the misinformation I had been given by my own main tax office, and the constant engaged tone on the 0845 number, which I had been told to call in the answerphone message. She understood why this behaviour is being seen as a potential scam and said that there was a high volume of calls at the moment in view of the current financial climate.

The bottom line is get your returns in on time, pay your tax and no one will bother you with such calls!

Cheers

Bob

They left an answerphone message asking for my National Insurance Number.

I googled the number and ended up here.

Due to so many different reports I went to my local tax office to find out more. They have confirmed that nobody from the Inland Revenue was trying to contact me, every call they make even failed attempts are recorded and they have no record of this phone number. It is however one digit different to the tax credit helpline.

There advice was to ignore all calls as they will always write and never phone

This is a real number. Caution is one thing, paranoia another.

I've had a message left too.  To be honest I don't care if it's genuine or fake, the unprofessional idiots should be writing to me, not phoning me in an accent I can barely understand.

I await their letter but shall not be answering any calls from them.

I think you'll find that these calls from HMRC will relate to unpaid tax. The Collector's offices work all hours and weekends too since their "customers" do not all work from 9-5 M-F.

Had a call from a Scottish bloke who had a strong accent and stuggled to make himself clear he was also rude and abrupt. What I could decipher from his troubled language was that he was from HM Customs Tax or whatever. Demanding that I pay a lot of money in fines to the taxman. What he did not realise that I have documentation (official) from the tax office stating that I do not owe them any tax for the period he was demanding. When I told him this he claimed that he was based in the national office and that a local office will be in touch....Ooooh can't wait.

Never, but NEVER give your personal detais out over the phone.

Don't do it for anybody.

If it is s genuine enquiry, they will write to you with details and you can check them. They will not need to ask for them over the phone.

This is the oldest trick in the fraudsters' book.

DON'T EVER GIVE PERSONAL DETAILS OUT OVER THE PHONE. NEVER!! NEVER!! NEVER!!

Enough misinformation.

The short version:

- Call back, get department name, call HMRC, ask for that department's number.

The detailed version:

1. Get the department name of the person who called you.
 -- Call them back on the number they leave OR the Caller ID number. I got through on 0845 300 3950 in under 3mins @ lunch - 12:30pm. More numbers listed @ bottom of post.
 -- DO NOT give them any details, they shouldn't be cagey about the department name, although they won't tell you what it's about. If they are, hang up, try again. You'll get someone else who will.

2. Call an official HMRC number, available at www.hmrc.gov.uk -> Contact Us.
 -- Google if paranoid like me.

3. Ask for the number of the department of the person who called you.

4. You now have a valid, bona fide HMRC number for the department that called you.

5. You can now call and give security details in confidence. (Or as much as you can get on an unsecured mobile or landline...!)
 -- It's true this seems like a scam: they didn't want the reference I'd been given, and they had no record of me. I then re-iterated the department name I'd been asked to contact and it was then that I was put through to head office, gave my security details again and THEN they told me I had 2 issues outstanding on the system.

Yes they're grouchy, yes it seems like a scam, but if you had to deal with people who were trying to wriggle their way out of paying large sums of money everyday, you'd get tired and fed up too.

Numbers I've seen associated with this:
0845 300 3950 (Personally called by this number)
0845 302 1424 (Personally asked to return call on this number)
0845 302 1427
0141 300 0260 (Personally called by this number)
0845 302 1429 (Personally asked to call this after calling HMRC on 0845 300 3900)

Other notes:

  o HMRC DOES work on saturdays: HMRC homepage -> Contact Us -> All Employers -> Employer enquiries -> Opening hours (for ref: mon-fri 8am - 8pm, sat & sun(!) 8am - 5pm)

  o Or for individuals: HMRC homepage -> Contact Us -> All Individuals -> Payment enquiry helpline -> Opening hours (for ref: mon-fri 8am - 8pm, sat 8am - 4pm)

  o I have nothing, nor have ever had, anything to do with HMRC. Besides being bl**dy late in my payments.

Please note I am NOT saying the following numbers are ok:

- 0845 300 3950 (The official HMRC person I spoke to didn't have a record of it, but it might be hidden from them. Their system sounds rubbish.)
- 0845 302 1424 (ditto)
- 0845 302 1427 (Did not ask HMRC about this number - so no evidence either way.)

The following ARE legit:
- 0845 300 3900 (Tax credit helpline from HMRC website)
- 0845 302 1429 (Asked to call this by the above legit number, when I quoted the department I was looking for.)

I've had a call from this number just now, and the (Scottish) lady who spoke to me eventually showed that she had enough information about me and what I owe the HMRC that I knrw the call must be genuine.  Anyhow, she already knew my name when she called, so it must be somebody I have given my number to (the number is ex-directory).

I do think it's stupid, though, that HMRC just ring up a person and ask for a whole load of confidential ID without giving any information first to confirm that they are genuine.

It is a Tax Credit Helpline:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/workingtogether/ntcqa.htm#ntcq1

I can understand why you wouldn't want to give your details over the phone but it IS genuine.

It's not always regarding debt either to all you people who think you DON'T need to submit your tax return if you're not self employed!