Derbyshire Constabulary are reminding people to ‘Stop. Think. Tell.’ following an increase in cold calls informing the recipient that a warrant is out for their arrest due to unpaid taxes.

The calls often occur around April and May due to the end of the financial year and following the tax return season.

Students can also be targeted, as many have recently received their loans, and scammers will try to make them believe they owe tax on their loan amount or other income.

If you receive a cold call, always remember to:

STOP - Never act on impulse and give personal or banking information, or money. Scammers may rely on the fact you feel pressured to stop you from second-guessing and realising it’s a scam.

THINK - Consider what the caller is claiming and what information they’re asking for. HMRC will never ask for your bank details or PIN. The police will never ask you to move money to a different account.

TELL - Talk to someone you trust, these calls can be frightening but a legitimate caller will let you take the time to verify their claims. Contact HMRC via a trusted number to verify the call or check online.

If you're worried that you've given your details or money to a scammer, contact your bank or payment provider as soon as possible and explain what's happened, and also contact your local police force to report.

Reporting

Report all Fraud and Cybercrime to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or online. Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk. Report SMS scams by forwarding the original message to 7726 (spells SPAM on the keypad).