Tag Archive for: HMRC

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The ‘Arrest Warrant Scam’​

Fraudsters are ‘cloning’ the HMRC phone number in what is being termed as the ‘arrest warrant scam’

The number appears to be a genuine HMRC call but is actually a scam to persuade people to transfer cash.

The official income tax helpline for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is being used to threaten victims by claiming warrants have been issued for their arrest because of unpaid taxes.

People who use the web to check the number – usually 0300 200 3300 – are finding the top Google result confirms it belongs to HMRC.

Some phones will automatically display the number as “HM Revenue & Customs”.

Despite the apparently legitimate number, the call is actually from fraudsters.

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Truffle Farms and Pension Scams

David Austin, Susan Dalton, Alan Barratt and Julian Hanson of Friendly Pensions, were identified as the masterminds behind a £13.7 million pension scam and have now been banned from being trustees of pension schemes.

Funds raised were used to line the pockets of the trustees, with more than £10.3 million shunted into firms owned or controlled by ringleader David Austin, a former bankrupt.

The scam cheated 245 victims out of their pension savings after they were persuaded to transfer funds into one of 11 fraudulent schemes, which included a bogus Somerset truffle farm.

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Image Rights – Further Probes

Following consultation with Spanish tax authorities into recent high profile ‘image rights’ tax avoidance schemes. The UK’s HM Revenues & Customs (HMRC) is now investigating almost 200 footballers as part of its crackdown on tax avoidance in the sport.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, the number of players under investigation has risen from 181 in April to 198 today, with 44 Premiership and Football League clubs said to be involved. The number of Agents (Intermediaries) being probed has also increased from 21 to 29.

The investigation covers a range of areas from image rights loopholes, to the use of tax avoidance schemes.

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Next, it’s Mr Wayne Rooney

Another day and yet another high profile footballer is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. This time it is Wayne Rooney who is staring down the barrel of an additional £6 million tax bill after a film tax scheme he invested in went bust.

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Ronaldo – Tax Case

The recent Ronaldo tax case is a very interesting study. There is no question Ronaldo was acting on the advice of his professional advisors, yet he, not his advisors is the one left with a criminal conviction, a two-year suspended jail sentence and a payment for €18.9 million (£16.8 million) to settle his tax fraud case with Spanish authorities.

Ronaldo was accused last year of not paying €14.8 million in taxes between 2011 and 2014 using a shell company in the British Virgin Islands to disguise income earned on his image rights.

Ronaldo was shown to have benefited from a British Virgin Islands (BVI) company.

This was used to receive image royalties, prior to his becoming resident in Spain, allowing him to avoid income tax on foreign income.

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