Homeowners warned not to fall for council tax scam (From Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News)

Homeowners warned not to fall for council tax scam

6:33pm Thursday 28th February 2013 in News By Newsdesk

COUNCIL tax bills will soon be landing on doormats and Sedgemoor District Council has a warning for residents about tricksters who claim they can save them money by re-assessing their council tax housing band.

The council and neighbourhood police officers in Burnham and Bridgwater have already received complaints about bogus claims that home owners could be entitled to reductions.

The complaints relate to unsolicited phone calls or visits by people claiming to be operating as part of a scheme oon behalf of the Government and Sedgemoor District Council. They claim that for a one-off fee they can reassess housing bands which could result in homeowners qualifying for lower tax.

Criminals then tell homeowners they are due a reduction and asking them for their bank details for the refund to be made.

Other councils have reported fraudsters phoning claiming to be from a Government department and offering a 12-month refund as a reward for prompt payment over the past number of years. This type of scam is similar to a number of bogus telephone calls occurring in growing numbers across the country, the nature of which is to deceive the recipient into revealing personal bank details by promising a refund.

If, at any time, a homeowner has any doubt about the identity of a person telephoning and claiming to work for Sedgemoor they should request a name and extension number and contact the council on 0845 4082540 to confirm the caller’s identity before giving any personal bank details.