Criminals are targeting some of the most vulnerable members of society with a phone scam supposedly involving the Insolvency Service.
The scam tricks victims into the free service through a premium rate phone number.
Here's what's happened and how to stay safe
How it works
Action Fraud says victims received telephone messages encouraging them to call the Insolvency Service.
Although the Insolvency Service is a legitimate Government agency and the calls did connect, they first go through an expensive premium rate line.
The scam is particularly devastating given that the people most likely to believe the scam are those already in debt – the Insolvency Service deals with people in financial distress, so might not be so surprised to hear from them.
The Insolvency Service blames the scam on a website based outside of the UK, helplinecall.com, which provides direct telephone numbers of businesses in the UK but when used, will cost the caller a lot of money.
If you receive a message purporting to be from the Insolvency Service you can check the number on the Insolvency Service’s website – that's https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/insolvency-service – or by typing it into a search engine.
This scam is not the first to try and trick victims using the reputation of a legitimate Government agency.
In March, an email scam attempted to steal personal details by asking respondents to set up Government Gateway accounts.
Read our guide on how to spot HMRC tax scams
How can I spot a premium rate number?
The Government has a list of premium rate numbers and what they will cost you to call.
Phone numbers starting with 09 can cost up to £3.60 per minute and charge an additional £6 to make the call.
If you have an unexpected phone charge on your bill, you can check the company and challenge the decision on the website of Government’s Phone-paid Services Authority.
How to avoid being ripped off by premium text services