Elderly woman avoided being defrauded after her son advised her before transferring cash

Trading standards officers are warning householders to be on their guard after an elderly woman was targeted by a plausible cold caller who told her she had overpaid her council tax.

By The Newsroom

Published 23rd Mar 2022, 15:28 BST

Updated 23rd Mar 2022, 15:28 BST

The caller claimed to be from the woman's local authority within Central Scotland and stated that the council effectively owed her £1000

She was then asked to pay £190 into a bank account, details of which were provided by the caller, in order to allow her refund to be processed.

Thankfully, the woman contacted her son to tell him about the refund before transferring the money -and he correctly identified this as a scam. It has now been flagged up by Lanarkshire Police.

Any official information about Council Tax will come from the council in writing - they will never cold call residents to ask for bank details.

Some households in Scotland may be eligible for a Council Tax reduction but they will not receive an unsolicited call or email about it.