HMRC can check your social media for 'discrepancies' and land you in trouble for fraud, warns tax expert

Posting pictures and videos of you living the high life might be one of the main things people use social media these days, but a barrister has warned that you might be unwittingly snitching on yourself to the tax man. This is because your social media is not just being viewed by your mates, family members, and former friends that you are trying to make jealous.

Though you are unlikely to accept a friend request from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), regardless of whether you are dodging tax, their investigators have the power and technology to review what you are posting online. This allows them to figure out if your lifestyle is not reflected in your reported income.

Tax barrister Andy Wood has warned social media users that HMRC's improved scrutiny of online behaviour may lead to potential investigations into your finances. He said: "HMRC has really ramped up its use of technology and data analytics to make sure people are paying the right amount of tax. Public social media posts are now being scrutinised, as they can provide evidence of suspected financial discrepancies."

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This is part of a wider crackdown by HMRC on tax dodging, which has already seen a greater focus on the side-hustle economy, with people making money on the side from Airbnb rentals, Uber, and other side gigs increasingly under scrutiny. How wealthy you appear on your social media feeds could be in indicator to tax investigators that something might be fishy about your reported income and trigger an investigation.

Barrister Andy Wood went on to say: "HMRC is legally entitled to view and analyse any publicly available information on social media.