A WARNING has been issued to people living across the Vale of Glamorgan as the council reports a rise in HMRC and council tax scam calls.

The Shared Regulatory Services (SRS) safeguarding team, covering the Vale, Bridgend and Cardiff has received a number of referrals across Bridgend, in a week regarding scam HMRC calls.

The two reported numbers that are calling members of the public are 0161 354 9940 and 020 3129 8297. A message or a caller will say that the issue is time sensitive and the person needs to respond immediately, to avoid legal consequences and threatens court action.

SRS have reported receiving notifications relating to scam council tax calls across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. In one case, residents were contacted by a supposedly Chichester based company called Shaw who claimed to work with members of the public who were owed refunds.

A woman in Cardiff received a call from a man on an unknown number who told her he worked with Cardiff council. She was told she was due a refund of £2,000 for council tax and would need to call a number and provide bank details.

The woman did not give her details and Cardiff council checked her account and told her that no refund was due.

Phone scam complaints or concerns can be made to Citizens Advice Consumer Service by calling 03454 040506.