Police warn public after overnight surge in reports of scam HMRC calls

North Yorkshire Police is warning the public to be vigilant after a surge in calls from scammers claiming to be HMRC was reported overnight in the county.
By Corinne Macdonald
Published 21st Feb 2020, 12:30 BST
Updated 21st Feb 2020, 12:32 BST
Stock image.Stock image.
Stock image.

In most instances, the caller claims to be from HRMC and alleges that the individual owes a substantial amount of money in unpaid fines.

The caller then goes on to say that if the individual does not pay the required amount of money within a specified time frame then they will be arrested.

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If you receive a call of this nature, police advise the following:

- Never give out any personal details or financial information over the phone.

- If a caller claims to be from a legitimate organisation like a government department, bank or building society, advise that you would like to call them back and then search the official customer service phone number to ring back on. If it is a legitimate organisation, they will be more than happy for you to call back.

- Do not trust an unsolicited caller, even if they seem to know personal information about you.

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- If you are at all concerned about a phone call you have received, hang up and report it to the police.

- Scammers are experts in their field and will try every trick they can to convince you to hand over money. Stay strong and don’t give in to their pressure tactics.

- If you are receiving a large number of unsolicited phone calls, consider installing a call blocker.

Report any scam calls to the police. Not only can they offer advice and support, these reports also help us to build up a profile of the types of scams and methods used so that we can help protect others from becoming victims.