Council Tax: Reduction scam email circulates as Britons warned to stay alert | Personal Finance | Finance
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Council Tax is usually paid by those who are 18 or over and own or rent their home. A full bill is based on at least two adults living together in a home, and must be paid at regular intervals. As a tax, many people will be looking for legal ways to reduce their bill, and as such, may be at risk of falling for a new scam.
The scam is circulating via email, and informs Britons they could be set for a significant refund which will put money back in their pockets.
The email reads: “We would like to inform you that you still have an outstanding tax refund of £1782.39 from an over-payment.
“You can get your refund fast, straight into your bank account, if you claim online through your Council Tax Account.
“If you claim online, you could receive your refund within three to five days.
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Instead, fraudsters will be using this website in order to harvest sensitive information to use it for their own gain.
This could leave Britons financially devastated, picking up the pieces as criminals make off with their hard-earned cash.
Individuals are therefore being warned to stay alert regarding this kind of scam correspondence.
They should always check the domain name of the email address both to see whether it is official, and where it derives from.
Similarly, Britons are warned never to click links in email which appear in an inbox from out of the blue.
Some may wish to contact their local council to gain further clarification on their council tax bill.
Several individuals have warned about this specific scam on social media, and have told others to be on their guard.
One person warned: “Do NOT be fooled by scams advising about council tax reductions.
“Never give out bank or card details. Scammers will take your money!”
Another said: “Watch out for scam emails offering council tax reduction.
“CTR is administered by your local council, not the Government – and this message was from an email address in Japan!”
And a third individual penned: “Scam emails are now circulating, telling you that you are owed Council Tax.
“Please do your due diligence when receiving any emails like this.”
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