West Lothian police issue warning over HMRC Itunes fraud

Police in West Lothian are investigating following a report of Itunes fraud after a 61-year-old was targeted.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Feb 2017, 10:55 BST
Updated 1st Mar 2017, 08:07 BST

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Police have issued a warning following the scam being used in West LothianPolice have issued a warning following the scam being used in West Lothian
Police have issued a warning following the scam being used in West Lothian

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The incident happened about 9am on Thursday February 23 when a 61-year-old male received a phone call from a man claiming to be from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

The caller advised the male that they had an outstanding tax debt of £500, which would require immediate payment using ITunes vouchers. They were advised to purchase the vouchers and provide the relevant serial numbers of them over the phone.

The male purchased the required amount of vouchers and passed the serial numbers as requested to the caller.

Police Constable John McLean of Livingston Police Station said: “Often these fraudulent callers sound extremely convincing and authentic but we would urge the public to remain vigilant.

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“If they are in any doubt that it’s genuine hang up the phone and report matter to HMRC who take scams & bogus callers of any kind very seriously”.

An HMRC spokesperson said: “HMRC takes security extremely seriously. We are aware that some people have received telephone calls from individuals claiming to be from HMRC. We are a well-known brand, which criminal’s abuse, to add credibility to their scams. HMRC will never request tax debts to be paid in payment vouchers and we are clear that they cannot be used to pay tax.

“We recommend that if you cannot verify the identity of a caller that you do not speak to them. We encourage you to check GOV.UK for information on how to avoid and report scams, recognise genuine HMRC contact and make payments to HMRC.”