BUSINESSES in Peterborough are being warned to be on their guard for phone calls claiming to be made on behalf of Peterborough City Council regarding their business rates.

Bogus calls have been made to companies in other areas of the country from callers claiming to be acting on behalf of the local authority and asking for bank details in order to give a business rate refund.

Shirley Pleszkan, the city council’s head of shared transactional services, said: “This is a scam which has surfaced in other parts of the country previously and appears to have reared its head again.

“If any businesses in the city do receive a call of this nature, then I would warn them not to give out their bank details and to call the city council on (01733) 747474 to check whether the call was legitimate.

“Peterborough City Council does not employ third parties to issue refunds. A genuine call of this nature would not ask the business to give out their bank or other personal details over the phone.”