Cornwall Council issued a fresh warning today after a Truro man became the latest to receive a phone call out of the blue from someone claiming to be from the council tax department.

The Truro man, who received the telephone call late last Friday morning, told Cornwall Council: ‘The caller said he was from the council tax office and he had my name and address. But I realised it wasn’t a local number and when I confronted him and told him it sounded like a scam he hung up.’

Jenny Lawson, revenues and assessment manager at Cornwall Council, urged caution if residents had concerns about the validity of calls, saying: ‘Unfortunately, this sounds like a common telephone scam.

‘Bogus callers will try all sorts of approaches to try and obtain personal bank details so they can access bank accounts and steal from people.

‘Cornwall Council may call residents who owe council tax to ask them to pay, however this would only be after a bill and further letters have been sent. During a conversation we’ll refer to our council tax correspondence so residents know it’s a genuine call.’

Anyone receiving a phone call, text or email asking for personal or bank information should treat the contact as suspicious and make a report.

Possible scams can be reported to the national Police scams investigation team and to Cornwall Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06.

Residents wanting to verify the details of anyone from Cornwall Council can ring the Contact Centre 0300 1234 100.