Fraudulent Calls from High Court Bailiffs

The IGA is aware of a sophisticated new scam, where a business owner is contacted by a fraudster claiming to be a High Court bailiff from their local Civil Justice Centre. This scam has most recently been reported in Lincoln, Bradford and Swansea.

The caller claims to have bailiffs due to arrive at the business premises within 1 – 2 hours to remove a specific value of goods for failing to go to court, and knows the full name of the garage owner and business address.

When pressed, the caller may give further false information in great detail. This could include:

• Fake information about why the bailiffs are coming to the premises, which is likely to be due to not cancelling a contract after a free period. The fraudster may claim that they have listened to a recording of the business owner calling to cancel after the free period, to be told to put it in writing which was never received.

• A fake phone number for the local County Court, which plays an automated message pre-recorded by the fraudsters.

• A fake court reference number.

Repeated phone calls may be made following the initial conversation, warning that the bailiffs are on their way and cannot be stopped unless the garage owner can contact the court and pay the full amount.

Report a Scam

If you receive a similar call, you can contact your local court to confirm that it is a scam, report it to your local police department, or contact Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or filling in an online report via their website here.

Please also let the IGA know if you have been targeted by this scam so we can make other members aware, by calling the IGA Direct Member Helpline on 01788 225 908 or emailing enquiries@rmif.co.uk.