November 08, 2026 - 190 views
Residents across Conwy are being warned about a Council Tax scam in which criminals impersonate the local authority in an attempt to obtain personal and financial information.
Conwy County Borough Council says its Council Tax team has received reports of fraudulent emails telling residents they have a credit on their Council Tax account.
The messages are designed to encourage people to follow links or make contact using details provided in the email, potentially exposing them to requests for sensitive information or fraudulent websites.
The warning also applies to telephone calls and text messages claiming to be from the council.
Residents are being advised not to click on links, open attachments, call telephone numbers supplied in suspicious messages or provide personal, banking or login details. Anyone receiving a suspected scam should report it as junk or phishing and delete it.
The latest warning highlights how fraudsters are increasingly exploiting people's trust in familiar organisations, using the prospect of a refund, outstanding payment or account adjustment to encourage them to act without checking whether the communication is genuine.
Council Tax is particularly suitable for this type of impersonation because most households are familiar with receiving correspondence from their local authority and may be tempted by the prospect of money being returned to them.
The scale of the wider problem is reflected in figures published by the Office for National Statistics. Its Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated there were around 4.2 million incidents of fraud in the year ending March 2025, a 31% increase on the previous year.
The ONS also found that around 71% of fraud victims experienced some form of emotional impact, with people reporting feelings of anger, shock and a loss of confidence or increased vulnerability.
Government figures have also highlighted the extent of online-enabled fraud. An estimated 56% of fraud incidents in the year ending March 2025 involved an online element, equivalent to around 2.3 million incidents.
Criminals are attracted to these scams because they can contact large numbers of people at relatively little cost, often without needing to know anything about their intended victims beforehand. Emails and text messages can be sent in bulk, while convincing copies of official branding and websites can make fraudulent communications appear genuine.
Artificial intelligence is also creating additional challenges, allowing criminals to produce more convincing written messages and impersonations. This means traditional warning signs, such as poor spelling and grammar, cannot always be relied upon.
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin has repeatedly highlighted the importance of protecting personal information and recognising the risks associated with online activity.
In October, he joined North Wales Police and Get Safe Online in a campaign encouraging residents to protect their identities, warning that personal information can be used by criminals to build up a picture of an individual and potentially access their accounts.
The advice included using strong, unique passwords, enabling two-step verification, keeping devices and software updated and thinking carefully about the personal information shared on social media.
More recently, in September, Mr Dunbobbin and North Wales Police joined Get Safe Online to issue further warnings to students returning to colleges and universities across North Wales. The advice highlighted increasingly convincing emails, texts and telephone calls impersonating banks and other trusted organisations, including communications which may have been created using artificial intelligence.
The message from the Police and Crime Commissioner's office is that people should pause before clicking links, opening attachments or giving anyone access to their accounts or devices.
For anyone concerned about the Conwy Council Tax scam, the council says genuine help and advice is available directly from its Council Tax team on 01492 576607, by emailing counciltax@conwy.gov.uk or visiting www.conwy.gov.uk/counciltax.
Anyone who believes they have been targeted or fallen victim to the scam can report it to Conwy Trading Standards at trading.standards@conwy.gov.uk.
Residents are also encouraged to remind older relatives, friends and neighbours to be cautious about unexpected messages and never to disclose banking or personal information in response to unsolicited contact.
