A HALTON resident has almost been scammed by an fake email claiming they could get a council tax refund.
The email includes many tell-tale signs that it is a scam, including the wrong council email address, an incorrect link to the council website and poor grammar.
If you are unsure if the content of an email is official or not then contact the organisation directly to check if they have sent it.
Always use a telephone number or email address that you can verify belongs to the organisation to do this; never use one provided in the email no matter how legitimate it looks.
If you receive this email, or other similar suspicious emails, delete them without opening them, if preview is available, and do not click on any links.
Halton Borough Council executive board member for Trading Standards, Cllr Dave Cargill, said: "Always remember 'if in doubt check it out', a simple google search goes a long way to identifying if it is a scam or not."
If you or somebody you know has been caught out by a scam or fraud please contact one of the council's specialist officers, Linda or Sue on 0151 511 8785 or 0151 511 8775, who are already working with people in Halton who have lost thousands of pounds to scams.
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