Beware Council Tax Scam

Mid Beds District Council are warning people about a new scam trying to get them to make unauthorised council tax payments over the phone.

A Flitwick resident received a call at 7.30pm last night demanding a £200 council tax payment be made at once. They sensibly put the phone down not believing it was genuine but the caller phoned back demanding the money and saying “don’t put the phone down on me”. They refused to pay and contacted Mid Beds the next day.

This was a scam trying to get people to reveal their banking details and make a fraudulent payment.

A council spokesman said:

“We would never call people outside office hours and do not demand payments be made immediately. Anyone who gets this kind of call should call us back on 01462 611200 to check if it is genuine. Our officers do give out their own numbers but these will always be 01462 611 numbers. This is the only number people should call to check if a call is authentic. People should not give their bank details to people over the phone without checking they are genuine. Better still set up a direct debit or pay online so you know where your money is going.”