North-east residents have been warned to beware of calls pretending to be HM Revenue and Customs.
Aberdeenshire Council has issued an warning after a number of residents received a fraudulent call designed to trick them into sharing their personal information.
The call – from 01143 033005 – asks residents to press one to be put through to their case officer, but the council is urging people instead to hang up immediately.
Wilma Urquhart Trading Standards Manager said: “We have had a number of reports from residents worried that they may be under investigation.
“I would reassure people that this is a clear scam and they should ignore the call.
“HMRC would not use this method of contact if they were conducting an investigation and the calls are an attempt to gain personal or bank details.”
Chairman of the council’s infrastructure services committee, David Aitchison said: “It is a sad fact that this tactic is sometimes used as an attempt to trick members of the public into sharing personal information.
“Our trading standards team works hard to identify these scams and we thank the public for bringing this issue to our attention.”
To report a call, visit www.actionfraud.police.uk or contact 0345 404 0506.