Haswell Parish Council would like to inform all residents of a telephone scam that is currently being used across East Durham, and has affected several residents of The Haswells today (Tuesday 13th February 2018).
The telephone scam starts with a recorded message, allegedly from HMRC, that states:
“This is Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs. We have been trying to reach you to let you know that we are filing a law suit against you.”
The recipient is then asked to phone 0161 850 8563 and press “1” to speak to the officer dealing with the case.
Do not to reply to this message as they will then try to extract money from you.
If you receive either of these scam calls, simply put your phone down and then report it on the Action Fraud website or call 0300 123 2040.
For those residents who have been affected by this, please try not to worry. Even though this can be unpleasant to receive, be assured that this has not been specifically targeted at you. This is an attempt to find ANYONE vulnerable enough to respond. Please do not think you are being individually targeted – just follow the instructions to report it on the Action Fraud website or call 0300 123 2040.