Fraudsters posing as tax office staff have scammed £2000 from a Paisley man. 

The 24-year-old handed over over the cash after he was warned his assets would be seized. 

Soon after the transaction, he realised he had fallen victim to a callous scam. 

The incident happened on the same day another Paisley man, 32, transferred £8000 to fraudsters after they threatened him with a jail term of five years, the Daily Record reports. 

Police Scotland are currently investigating both incidents and have issued a warning to local residents. 

Inspector Laura Hamill, from Renfrewshire’s community policing team, said: “Unfortunately, there have been a number of incidents reported in recent days of people in Renfrewshire becoming victims of phone fraud.

“We would again urge people to be very cautious if they receive a call from someone claiming to work for HMRC out of the blue.

“HMRC will never call you about a payment that you are not already aware of.

“Our advice is to hang up the phone immediately and call HMRC on a recognised number you have sourced independently.”

“Criminals can be very convincing and will often try to create a sense of panic during these types of calls but I would urge people to take their time and stay calm at all times.”

A HRMC spokesman added: “We will only ever call you asking for payment on a debt that you are already aware of, either having received a letter about it, or after you’ve told us you owe some tax, for example through a self-assessment return.

“We work relentlessly to close scams down and make people aware of
them.

“HMRC has a trusted brand which can be abused by fraudsters to trick people trying to fulfil their legal obligations.

“We have invested heavily in protecting taxpayers against scams and anyone who suffers financial loss as a result of one should inform Action Fraud.”