There has been an increasing number of call scams from 001442033896247 claiming that you owe National Insurance.

This scam, which is one of many reported to ourselves, is nothing new and a variation of the phone calls we’re sure many have received before.

These phone calls, although quite outlandish and seemingly obvious to be a scam, can be quite scary.

You should know that HMRC will never call you and ask for money over the phone.

Never give out your bank details to anyone over the telephone – even your own bank won’t ask for sensitive information over the phone.

If you are in any doubt then hang up the phone and call the HMRC number listed on their website – which you can visit here.

How does this National Insurance scam work?

More than likely, you will receive a call, usually in the evening because scammers may assume more people are likely to be home.

Many of them will begin with either an automated message or operator telling you they work for HMRC.

They will claim that you have outstanding tax due and that you are to pay this over the phone.

To force you into this, they claim if you do not pay immediately then an arrest warrant will be issued immediately.

Sometimes they will ask for your card details and if given, your bank account will be drained completely by these criminal organisations.

The scammers may also ask for your National Insurance number and identity fraud is also possible once this has been handed over.

Do not, under any circumstance, give them any information.

The number 001442033896247 is just one example of many numbers that a scam organisation could call you from claiming you owe national insurance.

Don’t be fooled, they are now so sophisticated that they can make it appear they are calling from the official HMRC number. So, a genuine HMRC number could appear on your caller I-D. But, remember that an HMRC advisor won’t demand information over the phone.

SUSPECT A SCAM CALLER? CALL RESIDENTIAL TELECOMMUNICATION TODAY ON 0800 433 7694

What’s being done about this?

Unfortunately, these criminal organisations behind the scams are increasingly difficult to find and takedown.

The calls may originate from India or other parts of Asia and police find it hard to track them down.

However, they are making some headway and they do shut down a good number of these scams each year.

Public initiatives to bring attention to these scams have risen dramatically.

Talking about them to your friends and family is the one way to stop these scams in their tracks.

What can you do to protect yourself and your loved ones?

These criminals tend to target the most vulnerable people, especially the elderly. Making sure that your older relatives know about this scam is the best protection you can give them.

Once they know about the scam, they can just put the phone down as soon as they hear someone claiming they are from HMRC. Never give out any private information as this could be used for all kinds of fraudulent purposes.

The first thing you can do is contact Residential Telecommunication on 0800 433 7694. We have an investigation team who you can report your phone calls to and we will actively look to locate the caller and ask them to remove your information from their system. If you have any type of suspicious call or fraudulent activity, we are always on hand to speak to.

Furthermore, you can forward suspicious emails and details of calls claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk. Forward texts to 60599.

If you do experience financial loss then you can contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

HMRC has even come out with the following statement:

“We will only ever call you asking for payment on a debt that you are already aware of, either having received a letter about it or after you’ve told us you owe some tax, for example through a self-assessment return.

“We work relentlessly to close scams down and make people aware of them. HMRC has a trusted brand which can be abused by fraudsters to trick people trying to fulfil their legal obligations. We have invested heavily in protecting taxpayers against scams and anyone who suffers financial loss as a result of one should inform Action Fraud.”

 

ARE NUISANCE CALLERS BECOMING A PROBLEM? CALL RESIDENTIAL TELECOMMUNICATION TODAY ON 0800 433 7694.