Beware the council tax scammers

Residents are being urged to be on their guard against rogue traders who claim they can get their council tax bills reduced.

Following a spate of incidents last December, when the council received 20 complaints about council tax scammers, more cases have been reported recently.

The companies tempt residents with promises of cheaper bills but they don’t initially mention the average £175 fee – or that decisions on rebanding are taken by the Government’s Valuation Office Agency which does not charge for its services.

Iain Hodgeon, Revenues & Benefits Manager at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “In the current financial climate it is understandable that residents are interested in exploring ways of cutting their council tax bills.

“Unfortunately the only people these traders are interested in helping is themselves and their victims could well find themselves out of pocket.”