A spokesperson said: “Posts circulating on social media, including Snapchat and Facebook, from scammers named ‘Seany B’ and ‘James Thomas’ targeted residents and promoted an opportunity to claim cash back on the levies already paid for the housing tax, housing rent and other bills.

“Responding to the message leads to ask the victims to transmit their bank details to the crook (s). The bank is invited, in person or by identity theft, to cancel an existing direct debit and to recover the sums already paid for the rent Housing tax.

“Any money received will be transferred to the victim’s bank account and the scammer who has this information will then charge 50% and sometimes more, leaving the victim with the remaining amount.

“As this is an illegal claim by DD, the victim could be subject to criminal prosecution as an accomplice in fraud and will be asked to return all of the money. The scam is not limited to at Kirklees Council and Kirklees Neighborhood Housing and is potentially open to anyone with a domiciliation for the payment of any bill. ”

Christine Gummerson, Director of Neighborhoods at KNH, said: “We want our tenants and the general public in Kirklees to be aware of this scam which claims to be a quick and hassle-free way to claim money from your bank without consequences. .

“This is absolutely not the case and it could lead to significant debts for the victims and a criminal conviction. The scam may not reveal itself to the victim until much later, usually when a demand for reimbursement of the full amount of money or contact is made by the police as part of a criminal investigation.

“KNH is using all avenues available to us to raise awareness of this scam and engage with the police about it.

“I encourage anyone who sees this message on social media or who thinks they are the victim of this scam to contact the Police Fraud Action Team on 0300 123 2040 indicating where and when the message was seen and details of any scam that has taken place. location. ”