Message from North Yorkshire Police:
This week a North Yorkshire resident received a scam call from fraudsters claiming to be from the HMRC. The victim was told she owed money for outstanding tax and if she did not pay she would be arrested. Over a number of intimidating phone calls she made several transactions totalling over £60,000.
These calls unfortunately are all too common and thankfully the majority of intended victims know it is a scam and terminate the call.
The common telephone scams are:
A person claiming to be from Amazon claiming a prime subscription has been taken out in your name
A call claiming to be from the HMRC stating you have an outstanding tax bill
A call claiming to be from the police saying they are investigating a fraud on your account and you need to move your money
If you receive such a call, terminate the call immediately.
Never transfer money on the request of a phone call from someone you do not know and if you are ever asked to lie to your bank or the police as to why you are transferring money, it is a scam!!!
It is vitally important that you protect your phone. Contact your phone provider to see what call blocking services they offer or purchase a new phone with a built in call blocker. Alternatively you can purchase a stand alone call blocking device.
HMRC Scam warning