An elderly couple were reportedly conned out of £4,000 after being duped in a council tax scam.

According to a post on the Dartford Remembered Facebook page, a man claiming to be from Dartford council phoned to say they were due a refund as their home had been placed into the wrong council tax band.

Convinced the caller was genuine, the homeowner confirmed his bank details, only to later discover he had been the victim of fraud.

His daughter Sandra Williams posted the incident on Facebook and said a smaller amount was also taken.

She added it had cost her parents “dearly” and urged that her post be shared to save other vulnerable people from a similar trauma.

Her post read: “The man knew everything about my dad and their home – SCAREY!

“He asked my dad to clarify the details and said there was one digit missing and could he confirm.

“The man was so convincing so my dad gave him the number – he is 85 years old – sad thing is they have done it again today but for a much smaller amount of money.”

Dartford council confirmed it had received several reports of a man calling local residents over the weekend, claiming to be from the council tax team and asking to confirm personal and bank details.

A spokesman said: “The council tax team will never contact you by phone regarding a banding change or refund.

“Please remember to never give out your details over the phone unless you are sure the caller is genuine. If you are not sure, take the caller’s details and hang up.

“Check the phone number of the company/organisation in the phone book or online.” Kent County Council Trading Standards said it was also aware of council tax telephone scams and has issued a similar warning.

Kent Police were unable to find any trace of any report but KCC Trading Standards urged people to be “extremely cautious”. A spokesman said: “We are aware of telephone scams in relation to council tax.

“We urge the public to be extremely cautious and never give out their bank details to unknown people over the phone.

“We ask people to report any incidents to Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 040506.”