Warning issued as phone scammers target residents in Telford

On Wednesday, police received a report a woman had been contacted by someone claiming to be from HMRC. The woman was informed she owed almost £5000 in unpaid taxes and there would be a warrant out for her arrest.

Police say the call was a scam and are warning residents to be on their guard.

Detective Inspector Lee Holehouse, from Telford CID, said: "These fraudsters are often very convincing and give the person they are calling no reason to believe they are not genuine. If anyone receives a call like this we would always advise them to put the phone down and report the incident to either police or Action Fraud. If you can ring 1471 and try and get the number the caller was calling from too.

"If they do think the call is genuine and want to check with the company the caller is purporting to be from then they should ring a number of someone they know and a voice they will recognise before ringing the company as often it can seem like the call has been discontinued but in fact the caller has stayed on the line and when you make another call rather than ringing a different number you are still speaking to the same person.

"These people tend to target people who are elderly or vulnerable and we would always ask anyone who has an elderly or vulnerable relative, friend or neighbour to make sure they're aware of what to do should be they receive one of these calls to prevent them from falling victim."

For more information about how to stay safe from fraudsters visit Action Fraud's website https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

To report an incident to police ring 101 or Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.