We got an HMRC tax rebate out of the blue – what’s going on?

theguardian.com:

I wish to bring to your attention what seems to me to be an income tax refund scam.

My daughter SW received a letter out of the blue from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) telling her that she was entitled to a tax refund of £60.40 and that a cheque had been sent to Ensign Advisory.

She has never heard of this company and was surprised to receive a cheque for just £8.66. When she contacted HMRC to ask about the discrepancy between the cheque issued to Ensign and the payment, she was told that it had a signed document from her giving authority to the company to deal with her tax affairs.

My daughter SW categorically did not sign any such document, but HMRC will not provide a copy without going through a subject access request. She has tried to contact Ensign but without success. The letter sent by the firm states it has sent an email that provides a breakdown of the “claim” but she has not received it.

The reviews on Trustpilot suggest there are many people who have had a similar experiences with this company.

IW, by email

This rebate was a surprise for SW not only because the resulting cheque was so pitiful but because she says she had not applied for it in the first place.

Ensign Advisory is an agent used by a company called Total Tax Claims. The latter says an online application for working from home tax relief was filled out by SW on its Totaltaxrefunds.co.uk website (you reach this site via clicking on ads on social media). It adds that the application was confirmed by email and text, although your daughter says she did not get them.

Whatever its origin, the payout was reduced as per Ensign’s fee structure which the terms and conditions on its website explain is a massive 36% of the refund issued by HMRC plus a flat