Householders facing ‘barrage’ of council tax scams.
Householders facing a "barrage" of council tax scams offering bogus refunds or threatening fines, town hall leaders have warned.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council have stated that the letters/emails are headed ‘This is not Junk Mail – Please Take Action’ and states that the householders address is registered with HMRC as having a ‘gambling machine games operator’ present at the address. The scammers then state that owed ‘games duty’ has not been paid and threatens that enforcement officers could be sent out to the address if there is no response to the letter.
These phishing letters/emails are designed to trick the public into handing over their bank account information and personal details.
Top Tips:
- Stay vigilant in the fight against fraudsters and always be wary of unsolicited communication from any source.
- Recognise the signs – genuine organisations, such as banks and HMRC, will never contact you out of the blue to ask for your PIN, password or bank details
- Stay safe – do not give out private information, reply to text messages, download attachments or click on links in emails you weren’t expecting.
If you think you have fallen victim to a scam, please contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or online at www.actionfraud.police.uk
If you need advice or would like to report a scam contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06.
