[UK] HMRC warns site workers about construction payslip fraud

In the UK, HMRC has issued a warning to site workers about growing levels of payslip fraud as compliance crackdowns continue, Construction Enquirer reports.

Manchester and Liverpool are cities currently being targeted by HMRC in a bid to prevent the fraud, in which criminal groups run payroll or umbrella companies positioned in the supply chain between the worker and the construction site they work on.

Such groups do deduct tax, National Insurance and Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) contributions from workers’ pay. However, they do not pass them on to HMRC.

Often workers are reportedly unaware that this is happening, since their payslip or Pay Deduction Statement can display the deductions as if they had been paid.

Edwige Hill - Deputy Director in HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service - said, “We are taking robust action to tackle payslip fraud while helping workers spot the warning signs of it.

“We are making arrests and recovering tax from the criminals and supply chains behind this fraud, plus working with trade bodies to raise awareness.

“We urge construction workers in Manchester, Liverpool and across the UK to check their payslips and compare them to their Personal Tax Account on GOV.UK, and report anything that doesn’t look right – it could protect thousands of pounds of your money.”

HMRC urged workers to be alert to warning signs, including not receiving a payslip or Pay Deduction Statement, receiving one that looks fake, or seeing deductions that do not match their Personal Tax Account. The company name may also be unfamiliar.

Source: Construction Enquirer

(Quotes via original reporting)

In the UK, HMRC has issued a warning to site workers about growing levels of payslip fraud as compliance crackdowns continue, Construction Enquirer reports.

Manchester and Liverpool are cities currently being targeted by HMRC in a bid to prevent the fraud, in which criminal groups run payroll or umbrella companies positioned in the supply chain between the worker and the construction site they work on.

Such groups do deduct tax, National Insurance and Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) contributions from workers’ pay. However, they do not pass them on to HMRC.

Often workers are reportedly unaware that this is happening, since their payslip or Pay Deduction Statement can display the deductions as if they had been paid.

Edwige Hill - Deputy Director in HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service - said, “We are taking robust action to tackle payslip fraud while helping workers spot the warning signs of it.

“We are making arrests and recovering tax from the criminals and supply chains behind this fraud, plus working with trade bodies to raise awareness.

“We urge construction workers in Manchester, Liverpool and across the UK to check their payslips and compare them to their Personal Tax Account on GOV.UK, and report anything that doesn’t look right – it could protect thousands of pounds of your money.”

HMRC urged workers to be alert to warning signs, including not receiving a payslip or Pay Deduction Statement, receiving one that looks fake, or seeing deductions that do not match their Personal Tax Account. The company name may also be unfamiliar.

Source: Construction Enquirer

(Quotes via original reporting)