4,800 Self Assessment scams reported

HM Revenue and Customs has issued a warning after more than:- 4,800 Self Assessment scams have been reported since February 2025.

Scammers use persuasive and threatening tactics to target people when they are more likely to receive correspondence from . They send fake tax demands or attempt to pressurise people to hand over personal information.

In the last 10 months, customers have reported more than:- 135,500 related scams, including:- 29,000 scams referring to fake tax refund claims.

is reminding customers to be vigilant as the Self Assessment deadline nears and check whether the:- Email message, SMS or phone call, claiming to be from is genuine on GOV.UK.

The Self Assessment deadline to file returns and pay any tax owed for the:- 2024 to 2025 tax year is 31 January 2026. Customers can file online.

Lucy Pike, 's Chief Security Officer, said:- "Millions of people file a tax return each year and scammers mimic to try and catch unsuspecting victims out. I'm urging people to stay vigilant and if any emails, text messages or phone calls appear suspicious; don't be lured into clicking on links or sharing your personal information; report it directly to . Just search 'report an scam' on GOV.UK to find out more. HMRC has taken swift action to close down nearly:- 25,000 fake websites and phone numbers in the last 10 months. will never:-

• Leave voicemails threatening legal action or arrest.
  

• Ask for personal or financial information via text message or email.
  

• Contact customers by email, text, or phone to inform them about a refund or ask them to claim 1.

Anyone who receives suspicious communication from can forward emails to:- Phishing@HMRC.Gov.UK, SMS messages to:- 60599 or report phone calls mimicking on:- GOV.UK. Find out more about how to report scam activity to online at:- Gov.UK."

Meet The Residents At Merseyrail Stations

A special photographic project showcasing the portraits and words of members of the Liverpool City Region's queer community is on show at Merseyrail stations across Christmas and the New Year.
 
Residents was co-commissioned as part of the 2025 edition by Homotopia and Open Eye Gallery, the UK's longest running LGBTQIA+ arts and culture festival which saw a busy programme of events and projects around the theme:- 'Uprising' taking place across the City during November 2025.
 
Queer photographer Ming De Nasty spent four months capturing members of the LGBTQIA+ community on camera for the festival co-commission with the City's Open Eye Gallery, and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, in partnership with Merseyrail and Sahir House.
 
The project has already included an exhibition outside the Open Eye Gallery, on Mann Island.
 
Now Residents remains on show at a dozen stations across Merseyrail's Northern and Wirral lines until February, with the photographs and accompanying text at:- Aughton Park, Birkenhead Central, Eastham Rake, Green Lane, Hamilton Square, James Street, Kirkdale, Maghull North, Moorfields, Rock Ferry, Spital and Town Green.
 
LGBTQIA+ people have long gathered in Liverpool City Centre for safety, community and self expression.
 
Residents honours that culture by making their presence visible via public artworks and is a place for queer people of different generations and identities to celebrate each other.
 
Along with being staged by Homotopia, it is also part of the Combined Authority's wider Photo Here programme, delivered by the:- 'Open Eye Gallery,' a series of 6 residencies; 1 in each borough of the Liverpool City Region; in which a diverse range of established groups have been invited to tell their stories and those of the areas they live in with the help of socially engaged photographers in residence.
 
Over a 35 year career, portrait and documentary photographer Ming de Nasty has worked on many projects with local and national organisations including Birmingham's IKON gallery and Factory International in Manchester and has been exhibited widely in the UK. Participation and collaboration are at the heart of her practice.
 
Sinead Nunes, Interim Executive Director at Homotopia, said:- "Our 2025 festival, Uprising, was an unapologetically defiant and rallying cry against increasing hostility towards LGBTQIA+ people. So it feels apt that this exhibition of queer faces; literally reclaiming space in train stations across the Liverpool City Region; continues that message of visibility,  resilience and empowerment into 2026."
 
Open Eye Gallery's Bronwyn Andrews, Creative Producer of Residents, added:- "To see queer people existing; publicly, proudly, openly and vibrantly; in the City Centre sends a message that there are unique, authentic ways of being the person you are. At a time when LGBTQIA+ people find ourselves under constant attack both culturally and politically, the act of sharing Residents publicly in the City is about more than pictures of people on a wall; it's about resilience and pride."
 
For more details visit:- Homotopia.Net.

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