RESIDENTS in Redditch and Bromsgrove are being urged not to fall victim to an email scam which could cost them dearly.

A resident from Aston Fields, in Bromsgrove, recently lost hundreds of pounds from his bank account after being duped by an email claiming to be from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

The email, which featured the HMRC logo, informed the resident, who does not wish to be named, that there had been an error in the calculation of his tax from his last payment, amounting to £267.

It stated that in order to return the excess payment, the man would need to create a “Tax Gateway” account after which the funds would be credited into his specified bank account.

The man had no reason to disbelieve the seemingly genuine email, so ended up giving his bank details.

He later became concerned and contacted HMRC who informed him that this was indeed a scam, and then called his bank, which informed him that £437.95 had been withdrawn from his account.

The man said: “My bank informed me that because I had knowingly given my bank details, I would not be able to claim the money back.

“Rather than receiving the £267 I initially though I would get, I ended up losing hundreds of pounds. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”

He later received an email from HMRC, stating that they never send emails to contact people about being eligible for a payment, or to ask for personal information such as bank details.

For more details about current scams operating, visit www.hmrc.gov.uk/security/index.htm.