Sefton Council warns of sophisticated scam targeting local business owners

According to Sefton Council, the scam is targeting business owners across the borough in an attempt to defraud them of licence fees.

The scam uses a series of sophisticated methods to dupe businesses owners into into revealing their personal and financial information with individual then pressured into making an immediate payment – which can run into thousands of pounds – by threatening to withdraw their licence.

Selective licensing for landlords can range from £495 to £695, with additional charges for multiple units under the same ownership. Construction licences, such as for scaffolding, also have varying fees based on the structure’s type and length, with some static obstructions costing £291-£355 per week.

Sefton Council confirmed the scam is mostly centred on premises used to sell or supply of alcohol, provide regulated entertainment or provide late night refreshment.

For premises where maximum number of persons allowed on the premises is 5000 people or more, annual licence fees can range from £500 to £32,000.

Ofcom is the official government regulatory body responsible for cracking down on scam calls and text messages and it said the ‘vast majority’ of people in the UK have been the victim of a suspected scam attempt.

The licensing fee scam has been reported in other local authorities across the UK, including reports of individuals entering business premises and impersonating licensing officials using fake IDs. However, the alert issued to Sefton residents only involves scam phone calls.

Sefton Council said it would like to stress that no council officer will contact businesses to ask for payment by bank transfer or cash. Officers will give clear instructions about where to pay fees via the local authority website.

Furthermore, the advice from Sefton Council is businesses and residents must be wary of people approaching them asking for money claiming to be from the council – whether in person or on the telephone.

A statement from the local authority added: “We have been made aware of a scam where both premises licence and personal licence holders across the borough are being contacted via a phone call from scammers impersonating Local Authority Officers, threatening that if the licence holder does not pay an immediate licence fee (of various amounts) they risk losing their licence.

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“The threat is also encouraging people to pay immediately or within a specified number of hours. It appears scammers are targeting those licences that are specifically issued in accordance with licensing Act 2003 legislation.

“We can confirm that THIS IS A SCAM, if you receive this call, please do not give any details over the phone.”

If you have any concerns, please contact Sefton Council’s Licensing Team directly on [email protected] and the team will be able to confirm the call was not from the official Sefton Council Licensing Team.

You can also report any incidents of fraud to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 for them to investigate.