POLICE in Warwickshire have issued an alert over a council tax scam.
They say fraudsters have been phoning victims telling them they are calling to let them know that they have been placed in the wrong council tax bracket for a number of years and that they are entitled to a rebate, they normally say that this rebate should be worth £7000.
Once the victim is convinced, the fraudster tells them that to receive the rebate they will need to pay an administration fee in advance; the payment they ask for varies between £60 to £350.
The victim provides the details and makes the payment, but then is no longer able to make contact with the person they spoke to on the phone.
Police say residents should never respond to unsolicited phone calls.
“Your local council won’t ever phone or email out-of-the-blue to discuss a council tax rebate,” said a spokesperson.
“If you receive a message of this nature, put the phone down straight away, and delete the email.
“No legitimate organisation will ask you to pay an advanced fee in order receive money; so never give them your card details.”
He added: “If you think you have been a victim of fraud, hang up the phone and wait five minutes to clear the line as fraudsters sometimes keep the line open.
“Then call your bank or card issuer to report the fraud. Where possible, use a different phone line to make the call.”
