Residents are being warned to be on their guard against bogus officials
offering council tax refunds or threatening them with fines.
There have been several incidents reported recently across
Oxfordshire, including in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White
Horse.
The fraudsters operate by ringing,
texting or visiting residents claiming to be from the local council, valuation
office or some other company which deals with changes to council tax
banding. They suggest that you are either due a council tax refund, or owe more
council tax and must pay it promptly to avoid a fine. They will then ask for
personal information and bank details to process the refund or payment or they
may ask for a fee to secure a refund or band reduction for you.
If you receive one of these calls, texts or
visits, do not give out any personal information, end the call as
quickly as possible and do not give any money to anyone who visits your
home. The fraudsters can get aggressive and ring back if you put the phone down
but this is all part of the scam to make you act as they want.
South Oxfordshire District Council would ever call residents directly to demand bank
details in this manner. Where it is believed that someone either owes or is owed
money they will be invited to contact the council themselves to arrange
payment. You will never have to pay a fee to have your council tax band
reduced. It costs nothing to make an appeal against the band your home is
in.
If there is any change to the amount you
have to pay you will receive a bill through the post explaining the
situation.
If you are in any doubt as to the
authenticity of a call concerning your council tax account please call 0345 302
2313 (South Oxfordshire residents)
To report a suspected incident of the
scam, residents can contact Oxfordshire County Council Trading Standards on 0845
0510845.
