There’s been widespread fraud involving claims for government aid linked to local and national lockdowns. HMRC is now employing covert tactics to identify businesses not following the rules. What’s the full story?

We’ve received information that HMRC is making calls to businesses which have claimed financial support and should not be operating during lockdown. The caller might, for example, pose as a new customer wanting to purchase your services, where it would involve you or one of your employee’s attendance in breach of the rules. If you respond by saying that you can’t help them until after the lockdown, you’ll receive a follow-up call explaining that the earlier one was just part of an HMRC check.

HMRC’s approach depends on the nature of your business. Your response could trigger further HMRC investigations, so when handling phone enquiries your answers need to be clear. Naturally, only businesses breaking the rules should be concerned. Receiving an undercover call may be inconvenient but at least you can be encouraged that HMRC is taking steps to identify those involved in dodgy claims or breaking the lockdown rules.