>>>You are being advised by 16 innocents who have no idea the extent to which the tax man can thro his weight around.
Maybe we "innocents" don't know the extent the tax man can throw their weight around, but we can spot a scam when we see one.
This lady says she has only just met this man, but he is already asking her for money.
Surely he has relatives, or close friends who he known for years, that he could ask for money (if it was genuine) not a lady he has just met.
So when I read this question at first the behaviour of HMRC was totally irrelevant, it is just an excuse by this scammer to get money.
And I notice the lady says £50 was "no big deal" but that is how scammers start.
If you are silly enough to give £50 to someone you have just met you are just as likely to give £100, £500, £1000 and so on.
All scammers start small and work up.
It is important to spot a scam as soon as it starts and get out quickly before handing over ANY money.