A NUMBER of Wee County residents in Sauchie and elsewhere have been receiving hoax calls from scammers pretending to be with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The Advertiser was contacted by a concerned local who had been targeted, and alleged that others in the area had also been contacted.

Across the country, there have been widespread reports of scammers attempting to gain access to people's financial details by pretending to be from the organisation.

According to the HMRC website, they do so typically through the use of automated phone calls.

Those who pick up the phone are then informed that lawsuit is being filed against them for unpaid tax, and told to speak to a caseworker and make a payment.

Other scam calls may offer a tax refund and request that individuals hand over their bank details or credit card information.

Anyone who does receive such a call has been advised by HMRC to hang up the phone and avoid providing any private financial details to the caller.

As hoax callers often use a variety of phone numbers, those who receive a suspicious call have been urged to inform HMRC to help them investigate.

In particular, they are looking for information about the date the call was received, what phone number was used, and what was said during the call.

To report a hoax call to HMRC, email phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

For further details on financial scams the organisation is currently aware of, visit tinyurl.com/hcwbj5j