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.

Sunderland 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.

“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].”

The scam is the latest of a series of cons using coronavirus fears to trick the public during the pandemic.

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.

Another scam text asks people to share personal details, while rogue traders are offering anti-bacterial spray for private and commercial driveways.

In 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.

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