POLICE in the North-East have issued a warning over a telephone scam which is demanding thousands in unpaid taxes

The caller claims to be from HMRC and in one call asked for £3,900 in unpaid taxes which had to be paid by 3pm on the same day otherwise they would face a £10,000 fine or imprisonment for tax evasion.

The bank of one victim in her 60s contacted police after it became suspicious.

Inspector Gary Dickson of Northumbria Police said: "We are aware of a couple of incidents in the Newcastle area where people have received a call from someone claiming to be from HRMC.

"The caller stresses that the person being called must not tell friends, family or their bank and that they will be called with further instructions on how to pay.

"Any genuine request would not be made in this way and we would advise anyone who receives a call like this to ignore the instructions.”

  • Anyone seeking advice about calls like this or similar should contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or go to the website www.actionfraud.police.uk