Council Tax Scam
An elderly man in Shoreham was contacted over the phone by someone claiming to be from the Council and that he was entitled to a council tax refund. He was given the contact number for the council as 0844 800 9426, however when it was dialled, it does not appear to be a valid number.
The suspect then said that they would need to take a fee of £55 via debit or credit card to process the refund. The victim realised this was a scam and did not pay any money. A friend of the victim subsequently called Adur Council to confirm whether this was a legitimate call – it was not and there are other people who have experienced calls of this nature.
The process of claiming a Council Tax refund does not involve telephoning the person eligible for a refund. For example Adur and Worthing Council will write to the person eligible for a refund and then send a cheque or make a direct payment into their bank once they confirm that person still resides at the relevant address, and no fee would ever be requested to process a refund.
Please make sure that you circulate this to all your family and friends and especially those vulnerable or older members of the community who may not have access to this information electronically.
Councillor Angus Dunn, Cabinet Member for Resources at Adur District Council, said:
“It is distressing to hear that some of our residents have been targeted with this scam.
“When any refunds are due, we always contact the individual concerned in writing, never by telephone in the first instance.
“If anyone receives a call of this nature asking for money, then I urge them to report it to Sussex Police using the 101 hotline number.”
