In the UK the giveaway is always the same: HMRC, DVLA, Royal Mail and your bank have each said, in public, that they will never text you a link to pay, sign in, or move money. Tell this checker who the text claims to be from, answer two quick questions, and it gives you that organisation’s own published position, exactly how to report it — and, if you’ve already paid, your UK refund rights. Free, anonymous, nothing to install.
HMRC, DVLA, Royal Mail and your bank never get you to pay, sign in, or move money by texting you a link. So a text that needs you to tap a link, pay a ‘fee’, ‘verify’ details, or move money to a ‘safe account’ is a scam — go to the source yourself, and forward the text to 7726. And in the UK, if a bank-transfer scam does get you, the law may require your bank to refund you.
The old advice — hunt for typos and odd numbers — is useless now. The fakes are clean, and a spoofed sender ID drops the message straight into the same thread as your real alerts from ‘HMRC’ or ‘Royal Mail’. What doesn’t lie is the channel. HMRC, DVLA, Royal Mail and the banks have each stated, publicly, that they don’t text you a link to pay, sign in or move money — so you don’t have to judge whether a text ‘feels’ right. You only have to notice that it wants you to tap, pay or transfer, then go to the source yourself.
The most common UK versions are a fake HMRC, DVLA or Royal Mail message and the bank ‘safe account’ call. Each one is engineered to create a small panic — a missed parcel, a tax deadline, a blocked payment — and a link that ‘fixes’ it in seconds. The fix is the trap.
Here is where the UK differs from almost everywhere else. Since October 2024, banks and payment firms are required to reimburse most victims of authorised push payment (bank-transfer) scams, usually within five business days. It isn’t automatic, and there are limits and exceptions — but it makes the UK one of the only countries where being deceived into paying can still end with your money returned. If you’ve already paid, see whether banks refund scammed money and the refund-rights index across 20 countries, and be ready for the follow-on ‘recovery’ con that targets people who’ve just lost money.
No. HMRC's published position is that it will never tell you about a tax rebate or refund, or ask you to confirm personal or payment details, by text or email — and it never sends a link to claim a refund or pay a bill. A texted 'HMRC tax refund', an 'amount owing, pay now', or a 'verify your details' link is always a scam. Check your tax through your personal tax account by signing in yourself at gov.uk, or wait for a letter by post. Report HMRC-branded scam texts and emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and forward the text to 7726.
Almost certainly not. Royal Mail will never ask you to pay a fee by text with a link to release an item. A genuine 'fee to pay' is left on a grey card through your door, and a real customs charge is handled by an official card or letter — not a 'tap here to pay £2.99' text. The small fee is the hook; the card details you type into the lookalike page are the point. If you're expecting a parcel, track it by typing royalmail.com or parcelforce.com yourself, and report the scam to reportascam@royalmail.com and 7726.
No — this is one of the clearest scams there is. The Take Five rule is absolute: your bank, or any genuine organisation, will never ask you to move money to a 'safe account', and it won't text you a link to log in. The 'we've blocked a payment, tap to confirm' or 'move your funds to protect them' message is designed to panic you onto a fake fraud line or a lookalike login. Your bank's real number is on the back of your card or in the official app — call that, never a number or link from the text.
No. DVLA never sends texts or emails asking you to confirm your personal details or payment information, and it doesn't text a link to pay for vehicle tax or to 'claim' a refund. The 'your vehicle tax payment failed' or 'you're due a DVLA refund' text is built to capture your card details. Tax or check a vehicle only at gov.uk/vehicle-tax by typing the address yourself; a genuine refund is issued automatically by cheque or to the bank account on record. Forward scam texts to 7726 and report them at report@phishing.gov.uk.
7726 (it spells SPAM on a keypad) is a free shortcode most UK phone providers support — forwarding a suspicious text lets them investigate and block the sender. It doesn't open a case on its own. To report fraud, contact Report Fraud, the UK's national fraud and cyber-crime reporting centre, online or on 0300 123 2040 (in Scotland, report to Police Scotland on 101). Forward scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk, and report HMRC-branded scams to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk.
Possibly — and the UK is unusual here. Since October 2024, banks and payment firms are required to reimburse most victims of authorised push payment (bank-transfer) scams, usually within five business days, up to a set limit. It isn't automatic and there are exceptions, but it makes the UK one of the only countries where the law puts the money back. Call your bank immediately, ask them to recall the payment, and make a reimbursement claim. For how this works and the limits, see our guide on whether banks refund scammed money and the refund-rights index.
Every fact in this tool comes from these UK authorities. Click any to verify.