Express & Star

West Midlands victims hit in £26,000 tax scam

Scammers pretending to be from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have pocketed £26,000 from people in the West Midlands in just two weeks.

Published
Last updated

A total of 45 reports have been made to officers in the region by people who have been told to hand over cash – or face arrest for tax evasion.

It has led to the scammers pocketing the large sum of cash over two weeks, with people now urged to remain vigilant and wary of phone calls or emails.

Kloe Burrows, from West Midlands Police's economic crime unit, said: "There’s been a recent rise in scammers targeting residents with the false claim they owe money and risk arrest.

"These con artists are preying on the understandable fear and concern this would cause to then pocket hundreds or thousands of pounds from their victims.

"An official organisation would not contact you out of the blue and demand you share personal or financial details without appropriate security measures in place."

People should never respond to messages asking for personal or financial details – including requests to send images to prove their identity.

And they should not click on links or attachments in suspicious emails. HMRC will never text, email or call out of the blue to ask for bank details, PINs or passwords.

Suspicious emails and details of calls claiming to be from HMRC can be sent to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and texts to 60599. People can contact Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040 if they suffer financial losses.

Anyone with concerns over scammers can also contact the force via the live chat at west-midlands.police.uk or by calling 101.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.