Reader TTS

The new phone scam that is circulating around has the fraudsters claiming to be from HMRC claiming that there is a "problem" or "issue" with the taxpayers National

Insurance number. The scammers then say that the National Insurance number will be "suspended" as it is believed to be fraudulent. Twitter users have reported that the messages

have both been recorded and delivered by the fraudster on the other end of the phone. Twitter user, Nick Fletcher tweeted that he received the recorded phone message on 9 June. Mr Fletcher

said that the scammer had stated that his National insurance number and his passport would be suspended as there was a "problem" with his National Insurance submission. Mr Fletcher

immediately knew it was a scam and ended the call. At the end of his tweet, Mr Fletcher added: "Seriously, who falls for this sh*t?" Another Twitter user had also received a

fraudulent call with the same premise. READ MORE: ‘SO CONVINCING!’ BRITONS WARNED ABOUT SINISTER NATIONAL INSURANCE SCAM PHONE CALL Another Twitter user had also received a fraudulent call

with the same premise. Under the account @KBelle_Arts, the user claimed that the call she received had claimed that her national insurance number had been used "fraudulently". The

user then questioned the scammer on the phone asking them to explain what the call was about; however, the fraudster couldn't answer the question. In the tweet, @KBelle_Arts said:

"Scammers need to try harder to make their scams more believable. I just had a call from "HM Revenue & Customs", about my national insurance being "fraudulent ".

DON'T MISS:  With the cost of living crisis currently putting a severe strain on people's finances, Action Fraud is concerned that many may be more vulnerable to fall for calls,

texts or emails of this nature. HMRC's advice is to stop, challenge and protect. It says that first, a person should take a moment to think before parting with information or money. It

also said that it was okay to reject, refuse or ignore the requests of the scammers as "only criminals will rush you".  An HMRC spokesperson said:“Never let yourself be rushed. If

someone contacts you saying they’re HMRC, wanting you to urgently transfer money or give personal information, be on your guard. HMRC will also never ring up threatening arrest. Only

criminals do that. “Scams come in many forms. Some threaten immediate arrest for tax evasion, claim that your National Insurance number has been compromised, others offer a tax rebate.

Contacts like these should set alarm bells ringing, so take your time and check HMRC scams advice on GOV.UK. “Scam HMRC phone calls fell 97% over the last year thanks to the work of teams

across HMRC. The department also saw a 92% drop in phishing email reports and a 97% drop in scam text reports. Since 2017, our technical controls have prevented 500 million bogus emails

reaching the public.” The tax authority encourages people to report suspicious emails and texts claiming to be from HMRC to them in order to protect others.