10 December 2009, 09/292
Watch out for council tax telephone scam
Residents in West Lancashire are being urged to be on their
guard following a telephone scam that has been exposed which
targets council tax payers.
West Lancashire Borough Council was alerted to the problem
following a call from one of its customers in Burscough who was
contacted by a bogus caller falsely claiming she was due a council
tax refund and needed her bank details. Thankfully she refused and
contacted the Council to tell them about the incident.
This scam is not just happening in West Lancashire but
nationally and many households across the country have received
calls from crooks claiming to be from the Valuation Office Agency
or a council official, who tell their victims that they are
eligible for thousands of pounds in council tax rebate.
The ‘lucky’ people are asked to send the caller their credit
card or bank account details so the money can be refunded. Other
scams ask for a one-off administration fee to process the
refund.
Therefore, the Council is warning people to be extra vigilant
and always check the legitimacy of the caller if they are asking
for bank details!
Councillor David Westley, Portfolio Holder for Finance, said:
"This scam targets vulnerable people with false promises but people
should not be fooled into thinking these calls are legitimate! We
have already had one reported case to us in West Lancashire and we
fear that more people may be targeted in the run-up to Christmas.
We’d urge residents to be on their guard to these crooks and should
report such calls to the police."
The police are aware of this and similar scams whereby the
caller says they are from the bank, an insurance provider or even a
charity.
Dean Holden, Police Commander for West Lancashire, said: "Anyone
receiving such a call should never pass on their bank details or
any other personal details unless they are sure about the
legitimacy of the caller. The only real way to do this is to get
their full details including name, organisation and contact details
then inform the caller that they will be re-contacted once the
recipient has had an opportunity to verify their credentials by
ringing the relevant organisation via numbers found from open
sources such as directory enquiries and the internet. If in any
doubt - ring the police."
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