Scam reminder for Hartlepool residents after bogus council tax 'refund' email

Hartlepool Borough Council has issued an alert after two incidents elsewhere in the country, when people received emails appearing to offer a council tax refund.

The recipients were asked to confirm their bank details so a 'refund' could be paid.

John Morton, Hartlepool Council’s assistant director for finance and customer services, said: “I want to stress that the council would never contact residents to ask for their bank account details and anyone receiving an email which asks them to click a link and complete an online form should ignore or delete it.”

One of the emails said: “After checking my records I can confirm that a refund was issued for the amount of £341.04 on 01.03.2017.

"You should receive the refund in your bank account after you confirm your details in the FORM provided in this email and early in this week the amount owed to you will be credited in your bank account.

"We are very sorry for the delay with this tax refund being issued."