HMRC 'won't pay' people £5,000 tax rebate and 'locks' their accounts

James Rodger
·2-min read

HMRC has come under fire for refusing to pay out £5,000 rebates because taxpayers have been "scammed". HMRC has locked accounts belonging to taxpayers who they believe - wrongly - have been the victim of a phishing scam amid the Cost of Living crisis.

The taxpayer, writing into the Times, explained: "I am struggling to claim a £5,000 tax refund and hoped you could help." They went on: "I immediately called HM Revenue & Customs and was told that my account was frozen because it had been hacked.

"I was told to call a helpline, but have tried four times to get through without success. Once I spent an hour and a quarter on hold, only to be thanked for my call and cut off, which was exasperating to say the least. This was the second time I had been cut off during a call — I am getting increasingly frustrated."

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They went on: "Normally I owe tax, so this situation wouldn’t worry me, but for the tax year that has just gone I am owed about £5,000. This is tax that I overpaid after making a one-off contribution to my pension fund. I would like this money back as soon as possible."

They continued: "HMRC has given me no information about what is happening with my account and I’m worried about what this means. Without being able to access it, I can’t file my tax return or get the £5,000 that I am owed."

In reply, the Times newspaper's 'Troubleshooter' explained HMRC said they had been the victim of a phishing scam but as far as the complaiannts was aware they hadn’t been. HMRC said: “We have spoken to the customer and sent him the details of how to open a new, secure account and offered support if he needs it.”

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