Sunderland residents warned of coronavirus council tax scam - how to spot it and where to report it
Scammers falsely claiming that they are from the Government are contacting members of the public by email or phone saying are letting that they have qualified for a tax reduction due to the pandemic.
The local authority is warning residents not to open such emails so that they do not become a victim of the scam.
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Hide AdSunderland Council has reminded the public that any council tax correspondence will come directly from them, not the Government.
In a message to residents on Facebook, a Sunderland Council spokesman said: “We’ve been made aware of a fake GOV.UK email and telephone calls doing the rounds falsely claiming you’ve qualified for a council tax reduction due to the pandemic.
“If you receive an email like the one below do not click on it.
“All correspondence relating to your council tax bill will be sent from Sunderland City Council, rather than the government.
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Hide Ad“When a credit on a council tax account is identified, we process a refund automatically without you needing to get in touch with us.
“Please report all phishing spam emails to [email protected].”
These have included bogus texts demanding fines from people for leaving their homes, selling facemasks which never arrive or are of poor quality and telling web users that their device is ‘infected’ and asking them to call a phone number for help.
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Hide AdIn order to stay safe, the police have advised the public not to click on links or attachments contained in emails or text messages; not to give out personal or financial information and only buy from reputable websites, using a credit card where possible.
To report a scam you can call the police on 101 if the scam is in your area. You can also report an online scam to Citizens Advice or to Action Fraud.