RESIDENTS are being urged to be vigilant with thousands of people across the country having fallen victim to a council tax scam.

An e-mail claiming to be from Unity Partnership falsely informing people that they are entitled to a refund has been circulated across the country and even abroad.

The e-mail includes a link to a form requesting people to input their bank details.

Lesley O’Halloran, assistant director for customer services at Wigan Council, said: “It is extremely worrying that our residents may fall victim to this scam.

“Any council tax refund would come directly from Wigan Council, and we would never ask you to input any bank details.

“We would advise you to speak to us if you are ever worried about receiving an e-mail such as this.

"If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”

For more information on your council tax history you can visit wigan.gov.uk/MyAccount/My-Account.aspx.