Take note of this latest phone scam.
Recently fraudsters have been ringing people out of the blue and telling them that they need to make payments over the phone for things such as taxes, bail money, debt collection, or utility bills.
They trick the victim is into believing that a payment is due and that it needs to be made urgently. The fraudster then asks the victim to purchase an iTunes Gift Card or Apple Store Gift Card from the nearest retailer (convenience store, electronics retailer, etc.) and then pay by sharing the code(s) on the back of the card with the caller over the phone.
iTunes and Apple gift cards can be used ONLY to purchase goods and services from the iTunes Store, App Store, Apple Books, for an Apple Music subscription, or for iCloud storage. If anyone asks you to use the cards for any other payment, it’s very likely a scam and you should immediately report it.
How to protect yourself from this type of scam:
Remember that government agencies, utility companies and official organisations will never contact you demanding payment by iTunes or Apple cards.
Never give out personal information, money or bank details in response to uninvited calls or emails.
Don’t transfer money, provide debit or credit card details, iTunes codes or electronic voucher details to strangers.
For more information and advice, please call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06 or click here