Solihull Council today warned residents to be on guard against potential fraudsters following the recent Government announcement of a £150 council tax rebate.
Councillor Bob Sleigh OBE, Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Resources, said: “I’m very sorry to say that we’ve already had reports of potential fraudsters trying to take advantage of this scheme - contacting people and asking for bank details - pretending it’s related to the energy bill rebate.
“I want to take this opportunity to absolutely reassure all Solihull residents that the council will never telephone a resident unannounced to ask them for their bank details.
“We want to make sure all our residents are well informed about this and encourage them to contact us if they have any concerns.
“We do try to encourage residents to set up direct debits for council tax and I would say again it’s the safest way to pay and guard against this sort of scam.”
The one-off rebate payment, part of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s plans to support families amid rising global energy prices, will be available to eligible households from April.
It will be paid on behalf of Government, via local authorities, direct to eligible households in council tax bands A-D.
Click here to sign up for a Solihull Council Customer Account and set up your council tax direct debit here Your Council Tax bill | solihull.gov.uk.
Or call the contact centre for help on 0121 704 8100.
The Council website will be updated with full details as they come from Government.