HMRC warn Lanarkshire residents to guard against phone scams

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Lanarkshire residents have been warned to be on guard against phone scams, despite a fall in national statistics.New data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed the con jobs have fallen by 84 pent cent in Scotland over the past year.Across the country 384 phone scams were reported to HMRC in June this year, compared to 2432 in June 2021.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android People aged between 25 and 34 appear to be most affected by scams in Scotland, with 94 reporting phone scams in June.HMRC has made significant efforts to tackle the problem and protect the public.Scam call reports from across all regions peaked in March 2021 with almost 76,000 reports.

This was slashed to just over 5000 in March this year.To fight phone scams, HMRC has worked with the telecoms industry and Ofcom to stop HMRC’s helpline numbers from being spoofed by fraudsters, who can no longer appear to be calling from an HMRC number.HMRC also has a dedicated customer protection team working on cyber and phone phishing scams around the clock.

Kelly Paterson, HMRC’s chief information and security officer, told Lanarkshire Live : "We work tirelessly to tackle scams and protect hard-working taxpayers from becoming victims of fraud. “Never let yourself be rushed.