Council tax scams

Find out about common council tax scams, like fake enforcement officers and phishing websites, and how to report them.

Losing money to fraudsters is a real and increasing problem. We are aware some criminals pretend to be enforcement officers and deliberately target council tax or business rate payers to steal money. 

If you meet someone in person

If someone knocks on your door and claims to be an enforcement officer, check their identity before letting them in. 

None of our staff will ever be offended if you ask to see their identity card. 

If someone calls you

If someone rings your home or business, you should be equally cautious. Never reveal any sensitive information in a phone call and be very suspicious of people who ask for passwords, PINs or account details. Do not give away any personal information. 

Emails and text messages

Fraudsters also use email and text messages to try and scam you out of your money. Do not click on links in messages. 

Criminals are known to set up fake websites that look like real banks to trick people into handing over account numbers and PINs. Instead, call your bank using the number on your debit card to double check the message is genuine. 

Report scams

If you ever doubt whether someone is a member of our staff, please contact us immediately. We'll be happy to confirm whether they are genuine. 

You can report council tax scams directly to our team at Veritau. 

Email: counter.fraud@veritau.co.uk

Phone: 0800 9179247

Further information

More information on common council tax and business rate scams is available on the Government website.