Residents urged to be vigilant following phone scam

Police have been made aware of a telephone scam in Wiltshire and are urging residents to be vigilant. 

Recently, a woman received a phone call from a man who said he was calling from Wiltshire Council. The man claimed to be from the council tax department and was very convincing. He told the woman that her instalments had increased recently and as a result, she was out of sync with her payments. The man told her she owed just £17 and could pay it over the phone immediately if she provided her card details.

The woman obliged but shortly after, she received a call from her bank informing her that somebody had booked an airline ticket costing £1,800 using her card. She has now closed the account and the bank has agreed to refund the money.

The council tax department at Wiltshire Council would always send bills for outstanding payments and would not ordinarily contact customers directly by phone for money unless there had been some previous contact.

Please be extra vigilant when answering the phone – do not give out any personal details or banking details over the phone, and if you suspect the call to be suspicious, hang up immediately and report it to Action Fraud via 0300 123 2040. Alternatively, visit www.actionfraud.police.uk