Households with a landline number should be vigilant of phone calls from fraudsters pretending to be the taxman, warns HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

As HMRC has increasingly cracked down on email and SMS phishing, a rising number of criminals are turning to the traditional method of cold-calling publicly available phone numbers to steal money from taxpayers.

According to Ofcom, nearly 26 million homes have a landline many of which could be at risk from scams, especially if they are not ex-directory.

Phone scams often target the elderly and vulnerable using HMRC’s brand as it is well-known and adds credibility to a fraudster’s call.

HMRC received more than 60,000 reports of phone scams in six months up to January 2019. This is an increase of 360 per cent compared to the six months before this.

If anyone is ever in doubt about who they are speaking to, HMRC advises to end the call and contact the department using one of the numbers or online services available from GOV.UK.