AN 80-YEAR-old woman from Caldicot has warned elderly people in the area to be wary of scammers after a cold-caller demanding £4,000 left her “shaking” with fright.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the caller was a man purporting to be a tax collector.

Her ordeal began when she returned home on Tuesday afternoon (August 7).

“I had an unknown number on the house phone with a message left saying it was from Her Majesty’s Customs, asking them to please ring them urgently because it was in my interest”, she said.

“I rang the number and spoke to a man who said I had accrued a debt of £3999.19 and if it wasn’t paid immediately, there would be a court case and a warrant issued for my arrest.

“It was so frightening.”

Puzzled, the woman asked when the debt had supposedly been built up.

The man, who had introduced himself as Kevin Winters, said the woman had failed to fully pay her taxes between 2013 and 2017.

“I asked why they hadn’t been in touch back then, and he said they had contacted me, and that he had my signature on a letter sent in May”, she said.

“He suggested getting a lawyer, but I said I’d speak to my son-in-law, who is clued up about these things.

Unable to reach her relative, and beginning to question what ‘Mr Winters’ had told her, she decided to call Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and find out whether the case against her was bogus.

“They said right away it was a scam”, she said. “If the story about the debt had been true, they told me I would have been sent at least six letters.”

After finding out it was a scam, the woman felt “relieved” but still in shock at what had been a very intimidating call.

“I felt sick, I felt exposed to these people”, she said. “They must have known my age.”

She now hopes by sharing her story, other people in the area won’t be taken in by people like ‘Mr Winters’.

“I hope this stops someone else being scammed”, she said. “Maybe people’s relatives will read this and warn their parents not to fall for it.”

A spokesman for HMRC 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 this 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.”

Speaking as part of Scams Awareness Month in June, Mel Stride MP, the financial secretary to the treasury, said: “We know that HMRC is the most spoofed government brand as criminals try to take advantage of the fact that everyone has some involvement with the tax authority.

Action Fraud has the following advice for members of the public who suspect they are being targeted by scammers.

“HMRC will never use text messages to tell you about a tax rebate or penalty, and they will never ever ask for payment in this way.

“Telephone numbers and text messages can easily be spoofed. You should never trust the number you see on your telephone’s display.

“If you receive a suspicious cold call, end it immediately.”