TikTok users are being warned to keep an eye out for tax scams after two men were arrested in east London over an alleged scheme involving £153million in fraudulent claims.
The pair, aged 22 and 25, have been accused of luring Brits into giving away their personal tax details by offering financial rewards over the app.
Investigators believe they then used those details to lodge false claims worth tens of millions of pounds – which were ultimately blocked by HMRC.
The tax body is now urging social media scrollers to be skeptical of posts that promise ‘risk-free’ rewards in return for their tax information.
That information is then used to apply for fraudulent tax repayments – and because the criminals hide their identity, it’s the person whose details were used who will owe money to HMRC as a result.
Similar scams are also run on apps such as Instagram and Snapchat, it warned.
Simon Grunwell, HMRC’s head of cybercrime investigations, told users to ‘protect your personal tax details in the same way you protect your bank details’.
He said: ‘Claims of quick, risk-free cash in return for sharing your personal information are a scam. They aim to defraud you and the taxpayer.’
Details of suspicious social media accounts can be reported on the Gov.uk site.
Prefer us to the others? Then tell Google!
As a loyal Metro reader, we want to make sure you never miss our stories when searching for your news. Whether it is the latest politics news explained, live football coverage or a showbiz scoop.
Click the button below and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.
The two Romanian men involved in the alleged TikTok scheme were arrested in Newham on April 23.
They were accused of offences under the Fraud Act, the Serious Crime Act, the Computer Misuse Act and the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Latest London news
To get the latest news from the capital, visit Metro’s London news hub.
Both have since been released on bail, and the investigation is ongoing.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Instagram Plus subscription service will cost you £2.98 a month – how do you get it?
MORE: Killer who blamed baby’s murder on a fake kidnapper executed after 30 years on death row
MORE: Ex-police officer is in hiding after Grok falsely linked her to Henry Nowak’s arrest
