Beware phonecall from fake taxman

At the end of September, a 48-year-old man attended Hawick Police Station after receiving a call that day from a male claiming to be from HMRC.

The caller requested various personal details from the man to establish if he was paying the correct amount of tax, however, no information was provided and the suspect hung up.

Officers are now urging anyone else who has had a similar phone call to come forward and are reminding people never to give out their personal information to a cold caller.

Constable Claire White from Hawick Police Station said: “Fortunately the man who received this call was alert to the suspicious nature of the request and refused to provide any details.

“We have spoken to Inland Revenue as part of this inquiry and they have confirmed they will never phone members of the public to request information, but would send a letter instead.”

“With this in mind, we would remind the public that should you receive a call from anyone claiming to be from Inland Revenue, or any other company, requesting bank details or other personal information, do not comply.

“Hang up and report the matter to police immediately.”

Anyone who has received one of these calls can contact Hawick Police Station via 101 or make an anonymous report through the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.