Halton Borough Council has issued a warning after residents receive scam vehicle tax payments emails.
Trading Standards said residents have been receiving emails titled ‘Your Payment DVLA Gov.uk vehicle tax has failed invoice’.
The emails state they are ‘Strictly Private and Confidential’ and claim that the recipients have 5 working days to complete a payment for their car tax renewal.
The email goes on to state if the recipients fails to do this, their data will be passed to a debt collection agency.
Halton Borough Council’s Executive Board Member for Trading Standards, Cllr Dave Cargill, said: “This is a scam, it has all the hallmarks of a scam, such a forcing the recipients to make a quick decision (by having a short deadline), stating it is confidential (so you don’t discuss it with friends and family) and finally stating there will be financial/legal consequences if they fail to fact. “
If you or somebody you know has been caught out by a scam or fraud please contact one of our specialist officers, Linda or Sue on 0151 511 8785 or 0151 511 8775, who are already working with people in Halton who have lost thousands of pounds to scams.
If you need advice on anything else please contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline or 0808 223 1133