I am facing a £4,000 tax demand I know nothing about – is it a scam?
DEAR DEIDRE: I‘VE received a letter from the tax office saying that I owe £4,000 because I am self-employed.
I’m a 33-year-old man and feel very confused about this, because I have never been self-employed.
I called to try to explain and they told me they would look into the matter.
They have now sent me another letter, saying I need to start paying off the debt next month.
They have suggested that I pay in instalments, with the first one being £1,000.
But I cannot afford to lose this amount every month.
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I have tried calling again, but I am getting nowhere.
This is causing me so much worry and stress. I can’t sleep at night.
READ MORE FROM DEIDRE
DEIDRE SAYS: Please don’t pay any money – this sounds like a scam.
The facts that you are not self-employed and they are demanding immediate payment is ringing alarm bells with me.
A genuine letter from HMRC will invite you to get in contact to discuss any payment.
For genuine HMRC numbers, see gov.uk/contact-hmrc.
Please also contact Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk), as this case sounds suspicious.
The more people who report this type of fraud, the better.
Doing so means that attempts can be made to catch the fraudster and stop them.