A WARNING has been issued following reports of aggressive phone scammers claiming to be from the tax office and demanding sums of money.

CPR Call Blocker is urging people in the North-East to hang up if someone claiming to be from the tax office calls or leaves a message claiming you must call back or risk facing legal action.

It comes in the wake of a similar scam in Australia where scammers claiming to be from the Australian Tax Office and were threatened with arrest if they did not pay out.

Bryony Hipkin, from CPR Call Blocker, said: “We would always strongly recommend never paying something over the phone that you are unsure of. Especially in cases like this, where the call you receive is the first time you have heard of any payment that needs to be made."