Shopkeepers and publicans are being warned about a new con in which scammers pose as council officers.
Adur and Worthing Councils say someone posed as one of their licensing officers in an attempt to charge a shop in Worthing for a new personal licence, saying the old one had expired.
But personal licences don’t ever expire – and the council says it would never call to take payments from a mobile phone number.
In a post on Facebook, the council said: “We are urging pubs and shops with a licence to sell alcohol to be vigilant after receiving a report from a shop that was targeted by a scammer posing as one of our licensing officers.
“The Worthing shop owner was called from a mobile phone by someone claiming to be an Adur & Worthing Councils licensing officer, who said that the shopkeeper’s personal licence needed to be renewed and offered to take payment over the phone.
“Personal licences do not run out and do not need to be renewed – we will also never call to take payments from a mobile phone number.
“If you do receive a call from someone asking for payment that sounds suspicious, please hang up and report it to us and Action Fraud.
“Luckily, the Worthing shop owner was suspicious of the call and reported it to us immediately.”
