OFFICIALS have received reports about fake HMRC emails claiming that people are owed a tax refund.

Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime, received 326 reports last week about fake emails purporting to be from HMRC.

The emails state that the recipient is owed a tax refund of £240 and links within the emails lead to phishing websites that are designed to steal personal and financial information.

A spokesperson for Action Fraud said: “Your bank, or any other official organisation, won’t ask you to share personal information over email or text. If you need to check that it’s a genuine message, call them directly.”

If you receive any suspicious emails related to HMRC send them to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk.