HM Revenue and Customs tackles online misinformation with verified alerts

Correcting online misinformation

In this case study, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) demonstrate how the ‘Respond’ and ‘Monitor’ steps of our PRIME framework can be used when issuing rapid-response alerts to correct misleading tax advice in AI search outputs.

Read our guidance on strengthening public trust in the age of AI-powered search to learn more.

The challenge

Online search tools and AI summaries began returning incorrect tax advice to the public, including incorrect information on VAT deadlines. HMRC identified that its own citations were often missing from AI responses, or were wrongly attributed when they did appear, and results varied depending on the user and platform. This highlighted a rapid growth of tax mis, dis and malinformation online.

Erroneous content spread quickly across platforms such as Google, Bing and ChatGPT, with other AI systems amplifying false advice. This risked reputational damage and customer harm, and became a catalyst for a wider effort to tackle mis, dis and malinformation.

What they did

HMRC traced the issue to incorrect information on a tax agent website, which had been copied by other agents and fed into social media, search results and AI agents. Their digital communications colleagues worked with legal and policy teams to issue an update for tax agents with accurate information.

HMRC also added a ‘call-out’ box to the relevant GOV.UK guidance page, designed to send stronger signals to large language models about the correct source. HMRC then created and implemented its first ‘HMRC Verified’ alert, using a purpose-built template to highlight the correct information.

Screenshot of a mobile phone showing an official social media alert post by hmrcgovuk titled ‘Misleading information’. The body of the text reads: ‘Some AI platforms claim VAT deadlines can be paid on the next working day. This is incorrect. The VAT deadlines remain one month and seven days after your VAT period.’ A yellow 'HMRC Verified' badge appears at the bottom left with a green tick and search guidance reading 'Search: VAT Return on GOV.UK'. The post caption below reads: 'Not all online advice is accurate. Submitting your VAT return late can lead to penalties, and late payments can accrue additional interest.'. — HMRC social media alert correcting misleading AI search advice on weekend VAT payment deadlines.

Laptop screen displaying a Google AI Overview search result. The headline text reads: 'No. HMRC does not extend VAT deadlines if they fall on a weekend or bank holiday. You must submit your return and ensure your payment clears on or before the statutory deadline, even if that date is a Saturday or Sunday.' Below the headline, a bulleted section titled 'Key Rules to Follow' includes: 'Submitting the Return: You can submit your return online on weekends or bank holidays through your GOV.UK VAT Online Account', 'Paying Your VAT: If your payment is due on a weekend, your funds must reach HMRC's bank account on the last working day before the deadline', and 'Payment Methods: How you pay affects the required timing.' After the bulleted section and at the bottom of the screen is a single line that reads ‘Missing these deadlines can result in late submission points, penalties, or interest charges.’ — A desktop search interface with corrected Google AI Overview confirming that weekend VAT deadlines are not extended to the next working day.

Laptop screen displaying a search query reading 'My VAT deadline is a weekend, can I submit my VAT return on'. The main answer block displays large blue text stating 'You cannot'. Supporting text below reads: 'If your VAT deadline falls on a weekend, you cannot submit your VAT return on the next working day. The deadline remains the same, and you must submit your return and ensure payment reaches HMRC by the original due date, even if it is on a weekend or bank holiday. This rule applies to all VAT-registered businesses, and failing to adhere to this rule may result in penalties.' A highlighted source link cites www.gov.uk. — A desktop interface with an updated search result displaying a clear direct answer citing GOV.UK as the primary source.

‘HMRC Verified’ is a bespoke, rapid response alert system, the first of its kind in government communications. The alert is built to respond to emerging misinformation and misleading content within approximately an hour of it being published. Each alert uses a secure visual template with a distinctive label and watermark-style security features, so the public can trust that it comes from an official HMRC account.

The alert system relies on internal social listening and agentic AI intelligence tools. It also works alongside flagship campaigns as a tool for pre-emptive rebuttal and wider public awareness.

The outcome

It took only days to re-index the information in AI summaries. HMRC worked with Google to make sure their search results updated quickly and cited the HMRC guidance page first in most responses. Google’s AI mode showed similar improvement, though it did not always rank the HMRC guidance page first within its summary. Bing was initially more resistant, continuing to favour other sources until the alert was issued.

AI agents and apps such as Grok, Claude and ChatGPT quickly followed, actively highlighting the corrected information. DeepSeek even included its own ‘Critical Warning’ about the issue.

This showed how proactive intervention, in the right places with the right content, can shape the wider information ecosystem and counter harmful content quickly. It also demonstrated how fragmented online customer journeys have become. Audiences move constantly between search, AI tools, apps and social channels, and conflicting sources erode trust.

Next steps

HMRC is developing a community engagement model. This model will involve managers working as trusted digital ambassadors who engage directly with content posted in forums and social communities. Acting as a digital equivalent to HMRC’s broadcast spokespeople, they will help correct misinformation and build trust in real time, alongside education formats designed to prevent non-compliance before it happens.

HMRC is also scoping a more advanced, AI-augmented rapid response system, intended to scale the success of HMRC Verified rather than replace human judgement. A multi-tier system will monitor digital channels for HMRC-related claims, verify them against GOV.UK guidance, classify their urgency and draft a response, before handing everything to a human for sign-off. Nothing will be published automatically or without human oversight.