Resonant second‐order Raman scattering of zone‐center longitudinal‐optical phonons [2LO(&Ggr;)] in Hg0.8Cd0.2Te and Hg0.7Cd0.3Te is reported. Three 2LO(&Ggr;) components are seen, which are assigned as LO1+LO1,LO1+LO2and LO2+LO2combinations (where 1 denotes CdTe‐like and 2 denotes HgTe‐like). The intensity of these bands is very sensitive to crystal damage, making this a very useful probe of near‐surface crystal order. The detection of Te inclusions by Raman microscopy is reported and a variation in peak position is attributed to different inclusions being under varying tensile strain. Bromine‐methanol etching of Hg1−xCdxTe is shown to lead to a buildup of Te on the surface, while an increase in intensity of the 2LO(&Ggr;) modes of the Hg1−xCdxTe reflects removal of surface damage.