Erewash Borough Council is warning residents of the latest Council Tax scam after receiving several reports of conmen contacting people in the borough by telephone and asking for their bank details.
The fraudsters are trying to cash in on the £150 Energy Rebate by claiming the details are needed to enable the payment to be made.
The rebate for this financial year was announced by the government to help households in band A to D properties with rising energy costs and councils have started to process the payments this month.
Councillor Wayne Major, Erewash Borough Council’s Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Resources, said: “It is infuriating that we have already had reports of fraudsters trying to take advantage of this rebate scheme. I would like to reassure everyone that we are not telephoning residents unannounced and we would never request banking information in this way.
“Some of these conmen can be very convincing so we urge everyone to be on their guard and talk to friends and family as well to make them aware of this scam.”
Anyone who is contacted by someone asking for bank details for the rebate payment should ask for the person’s name and contact details then end the call and ring the council on 0115 907 2244. Do not supply any personal or banking information and do not call the person back on the number they have provided.
The council is prioritising payments to direct debit customers in line with government guidelines, with the rebate paid directly into bank accounts – this will happen once the first April council tax direct debit payment has been received and cleared by the council.
An application process will be confirmed shortly for non-direct debit payers. Full details of the scheme can be found on the Council Tax page at www.erewash.gov.uk