Police are alerting Islanders to a scam in which a number of people are being contacted by someone fraudulently claiming to be from HMRC.
Hampshire Constabulary say that 3 people have reported receiving the telephone calls, but Island Echo understands that hundreds of locals have been receiving the calls from the number 0161 850 4577.
You can protect yourself by following this advice:
• Never give personal or bank account details to anyone who contacts you unexpectedly
• Never tell anyone your PIN number
• If you have given out information which could compromise your bank security in any way, call your bank to cancel your cards as soon as possible
• Never hand over your card, money or valuables to someone at the door to be sent off elsewhere
You can read more about the scam and find out how to protect yourself on the Action Fraud website at https://actionfraud.police.uk/news/alert-fraudsters-claiming-to-be-from-hmrc-jun17
If you are concerned about an unsolicited phone call from someone that you do not know, who asks you to hand over money, then report this to Police as a suspicious incident by calling 101.
