Fraud Alert – HMRC iTunes Voucher Fraud

We are urging residents, particularly the elderly and vulnerable to be wary of fraudsters cold calling residents with a view to them purchasing iTunes vouchers to settle a debt.

We would remind residents that HMRC and government agencies would never cold call people with a view to them paying arrears or fines and would certainly never ask for payment to be made in iTunes vouchers.

An incident took place on Monday 4 December, when a resident in the Audley area of Stoke on Trent received a call from a man purporting to be from the tax office.  They advised the resident that he owed them money and that there was a Court Summons and he needed to pay his fine with iTunes vouchers.  The fraudsters asked the victim to purchase vouchers from outlets and then provide the voucher codes to them over the telephone. Unfortunately, in this incident, the resident did make several transactions purchasing a large amount of vouchers.

If you receive a call of this nature, hang up immediately and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

If you own a business which sells iTunes voucher cards or work in a store which does, be mindful of people purchasing large amounts of these cards and be responsible in alerting customers to this type of fraud.

Please also make vulnerable family and friends aware of this fraud and what to do if they receive a call of this type.