--- title: HMRC Tax Scams Dominate UK Fraud Calls | Hiya description: HMRC tax scams remain the UK’s top phone fraud. Learn how these scams, along with Amazon and Visa scams, target consumers and how to stay safe. image: https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Blog_GCTRQ42024_UK_B@2x-1.avif --- [![Hiya logo](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-new-purple.svg)](https://www.hiya.com/) Solutions Solutions [For Mobile Operators Protect your network](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/operators) [For Businesses Brand your calls](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/businesses) [For People Get the mobile app](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-spam-blocker) ###### Webinar Branded Calling 101 Weekly Webinar Make your company's calls more recognizable. Learn how Hiya can drive value for your business. 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[Amazon scams](https://blog.hiya.com/amazon-scam?hsLang=en) came in a close second, as Q4 included the busy holiday season when consumers are sending and receiving packages — and more likely to believe a call about a missed delivery or problem with the credit card linked to the Amazon account . Those were some of the findings in Hiya’s recently-published [Global Call Threat Report](https://www.hiya.com/global-call-threat-report), which includes data from Q4 2024. Read the report to discover: - Number of spam calls per person per month in 40+ countries. - Percentage of calls that are suspected to be fraud vs. nuisance. - Detailed analysis of the US, UK, Canada, Spain, France, Germany and Brazil. - Special section on the rise of deepfake scams. [Download the Q4 2024 Global Call Threat Report](https://www.hiya.com/global-call-threat-report) ## Common phone scams in the UK ![A chart of the top phone spam trends in the UK](https://blog.hiya.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_GCTRQ42024_UK_C@2x.jpg?width=1300&height=579&name=Blog_GCTRQ42024_UK_C@2x.jpg) Other phone scams that ranked among the top scams in Q4 included [immigration scams](https://blog.hiya.com/scam-of-the-month-bank-scams?hsLang=en). With these scams, Hiya users reported calls claiming to be from “The Immigration Bureau” warning of an expired visa. Robocalls were commonly spoken in both English and Chinese. Another commonly reported unwanted call was from mobile phone providers, often offering some type of a discount. Most users reported these as fraud calls, while some reported them as telemarketing sales calls. Consumers tend to use their credit cards more during the holiday season, and Q4 was rife with imposters pretending to represent [Visa/Mastercard](https://blog.hiya.com/the-credit-card-scam?hsLang=en). Scammers warned recipients of unauthorized credit card charges, in an effort to get them to reveal their account numbers and passwords to resolve the matter. Energy scams shot up in early December, at volumes nearly double what they were in the preceding months. These are expected to remain  high during the cold winter months. A special section in the report revealed that Brits are concerned about the advent of AI-generated deepfakes. In a survey commissioned by Hiya, 26% of British respondents said they had experienced an audio deepfake, often on a personal or work call. ### Lower spam volumes than other European countries ![Blog_GCTRQ42024_UK_D@2x](https://blog.hiya.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_GCTRQ42024_UK_D@2x.jpg?width=381&height=376&name=Blog_GCTRQ42024_UK_D@2x.jpg)The only good news about phone scams in the UK is that Brits receive a relatively low volume of spam calls — an average of only 4 per person each month. That’s one of the lowest rates in Europe. Although the UK’s overall spam rate is 32% from unknown numbers, the proportion of those calls that are fraud, 4%, is also low compared to other European countries. The other 29% were nuisance calls: calls that annoy consumers but are not necessarily illegal. ### Get the full report The Global Call Threat Report is a valuable resource for phone carriers, businesses and individuals. Use the report to compare phone spam in your own country with other countries in your region and other countries around the world. [Download the Q4 2024 Global Call Threat Report](https://www.hiya.com/global-call-threat-report) [![banner-hiya-reg](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/banner-hiya-reg.jpg)](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/number-registration) ### Latest Articles ⚡️ - Hiya awarded 16 G2 Summer 2026 badges for branded caller ID Lena Prickett Jul. 9, 2026 - How Canada is leading the fight to stop bank scams Stephanie Boulanger Jun. 26, 2026 - How to check phone numbers for spam labels Michelle Wallace Jun. 9, 2026 ## Related articles ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/rogers-toronto-event-blog-hero.webp) ## [How Canada is leading the fight to stop bank scams](https://blog.hiya.com/how-canada-is-leading-the-fight-to-stop-bank-scams?hsLang=en) Stephanie Boulanger Jun. 26, 2026 ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Blog_How-to-check-phone-numbers-for-spam-labels_B.webp) ## [How to check phone numbers for spam labels](https://blog.hiya.com/how-to-check-phone-numbers-for-spam-labels?hsLang=en) Michelle Wallace Jun. 9, 2026 ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Hiya%20x%20DNA-blog@2x.webp) ## [Hiya and DNA Finland launch network-level call protection](https://blog.hiya.com/hiya-and-dna-finland-launch-network-level-call-protection?hsLang=en) Stephanie Boulanger Jun. 2, 2026 [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-new-purple.svg)](https://www.hiya.com/) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/linkedin-1.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/hiyainc) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/facebook-1.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/hiyainc/) ###### Products - Connect - [Number Registration](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/number-registration) - [Branded Call](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/branded-call) - [View Plans](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/pricing) - Protect - [Spam Analytics](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect/spam-analytics) - [AI Voice Detection](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect/ai-voice-detection) - Apps - [Hiya Spam Blocker](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-spam-blocker) - [Hiya AI Phone](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-ai-phone) ###### Solutions - Company size - [Enterprise](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/enterprise) - [Call Centers](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/call-center) - [Small and Medium](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/businesses) - Service providers - [Operators](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/operators) - [OEMs and technology](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/technology-partners) ###### Considering Hiya? - [Why Hiya](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya) - [How it Works](https://www.hiya.com/how-it-works) - [Customer Stories](https://www.hiya.com/case-studies) - [Voice Intelligence Platform](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya/voice-intelligence-platform) - [Trust Center](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya/trust-center) - [Modern Slavery](https://www.hiya.com/company/modern-slavery) - [About Hiya](https://www.hiya.com/company/about) - [Careers: We're hiring!](https://www.hiya.com/company/careers) - [Contact us](https://www.hiya.com/contact-us) ###### Resources - [Resource Center](https://www.hiya.com/resources) - [Partner Program](https://partners.hiya.com/) - [Get Support](https://hiya.com/support) - [Developer Docs](https://developer.hiya.com/) - [Hiya Blog](https://hiya.com/blog) - [Events](https://www.hiya.com/events) - [Press Kit](https://www.hiya.com/newsroom#press-kit) ![ANAB](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-anab.svg) ![ISO 27001](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-iso27017.png) ![AICPA](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-aicpa.svg) ![IAF](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-iaf.svg) [Privacy Policy](https://www.hiya.com/legal/privacy) [Terms of Service](https://www.hiya.com/legal/terms-of-service) [App Data Privacy Policy](https://www.hiya.com/legal/app-data-protection-and-privacy-policy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Patchen Noelke", "url" : "https://blog.hiya.com/author/patchen-noelke" }, "dateModified" : "2025-10-08T17:09:10.501Z", "datePublished" : "2025-03-10T20:51:07.000Z", "headline" : "HMRC Tax Scams Dominate UK Fraud Calls | Hiya", "image" : [ "https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Blog_GCTRQ42024_UK_B@2x-1.avif" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.hiya.com/hmrc-tax-scams-remain-the-most-common-phone-scam-in-uk", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-logo-3.svg" }, "name" : "Hiya Inc." } } ```