Council Tax Ruse

Received from our Homewatch Officer:-

I have received the following email from one of our Homewatch coordinators who has asked that I circulate the information as a warning :

I received a phone call today from friends, a married couple in Wilmslow. They are both in their nineties and are frail. Shortly before they called me,the husband had taken a call from a woman named Anna claiming to be from Cheshire East Council and wanting to arrange a visit to my friends with a view to reviewing and getting a reduction in their council tax.

Regrettably, with hindsight, my friend acceded to their request and accepted a visit time of 1.45 pm tomorrow. Apparently two men will turn up (why two for a council tax review ?). My friends have since become very nervous about the visit, hence their call to me.

I then called Cheshire East Council Tax Dept, who confirmed that they have no record of the aforementioned visit and that, in any case, the initiative for a council tax review has to first be received from the taxpayer.

I then called Cheshire Police for their reaction to this.They reported that they had today received numerous similar calls from other residents in the area (Handforth and Wilmslow) and that (apparently legitimate ) companies are targeting residents in the area with the object of negotiating council tax reductions for a fee of say 20% of any reduction. They also gave me the name of the company (or one of the companies) involved.

I reported this to Cheshire East and suggested that they might forewarn residents of these approaches. They replied that council tax reviews are a matter for the Valuation Office, not for them.

It seems to me that this is a case of cold calling to vulnerable residents and that perhaps the most expedient (if not the best) method of forewarning residents might be via the Homewatch network.

 

Regards

 

Jane Thirsk

Watch officer