Members of the public are receiving phone calls and when they have answered an automated message starts, claiming to be from HMRC regarding fraudulent activity on the caller’s account.

The caller is then instructed to press  1 on their keypad so they can be transferred to the HMRC Manager to discuss the account, when this happens the caller speaks to someone pretending to be in this role.
If the caller doesn’t press the number then the automated message carries on to say that a warrant will be put out for the arrest, turning the caller from a victim to a criminal within a matter of minutes. This is because the scammers didn’t get the panic response from the caller that they wanted.
Please be aware of these types of scams, and let your friends and family know about them too so they don’t fall victim to the scammers.
Remember to ‘take 5’ to stop fraud:
STOP – taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.
CHALLENGE – Could it be fake? it’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
PROTECT – Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.