A GOVERNMENT agency is warning residents in Stanway to ignore calls by scammers.

Callers claiming to be from HM Revenue and Customs have been preying on residents in the area.

One woman from Stanway, who did not want to be named, said: “I received a phone call from HMRC saying there was a warrant out for me and that before it goes to court this was my last chance to make the payment due.

“They were saying it was for tax owed between 1998 and 2015.

“I spent 45 minutes on the phone to them and I will say they had lots of my information.

“It seemed genuine, the number was an 0161 [Manchester] number.”

She wisely refused to hand over any money and the scammer gave a rude response.

They woman added: “When I refused to make a payment over the phone until I had checked the authenticity I was sworn at and they put the phone down.

“I am usually pretty clued up on scams but they had an answer to all my questions.”

HMRC said it is aware of the scam and are looking into the problem.

The Government body warned residents not to make any payments over the phone.

An HMRC spokesman said: “Phone scams are widely reported, and generally attempt to target elderly and vulnerable people.

"They often involve people receiving a call out of the blue and being told that HMRC is investigating them. If you can’t verify the identity of the caller, we recommend that you do not speak to them.

“HMRC will call people about outstanding tax bills, and sometimes use automated messages, however it would include your taxpayer reference number.

"If you are uncertain of the caller hang up and call HMRC directly to check – you can confirm our call centre numbers on GOV.UK if you are unsure.

" For tax credits we do not include your details in any voicemail messages.”