Police in Gloucestershire are warning residents to be vigilant following a number of reports of fraudulent HMRC phone calls being received so far this week.
At least 16 scam phone calls have been reported county-wide since Monday with fraudsters claiming to be from the HMRC.
The fraudsters have been calling residents before stating that a warrant is out for their arrest after their national insurance number had been used fraudulently.
The caller was asked to press 1 to be transferred to a customer service agent.
Fortunately those who were called recognised that this was a scam however we are asking for this message to be shared to prevent anyone from being scammed in the future.
Telephone numbers can easily be spoofed (faked) so anyone who gets a call which they are suspicious about is advised not to give any information but to tell the caller to write to them as they will have all their personal details.
The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is free and can help reduce the number of nuisance and scam calls you receive. To register, please visit: https://www.tpsonline.org.uk/register
Anyone who believes they have been the victim of fraud can report this to police by calling 101 or calling Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.