Businesses are being warned to watch out for calls from a scammer claiming to be from Marlborough Town Council.

The warning comes after multiple businesses in the town have received phone calls from a fake identity asking for money.

According to anonymous victims, the male scammer is calling local businesses claiming that he is selling advertising on behalf of Marlborough Town Council.

The scammer then asks for a payment in return for advertising the business on the council website.

However, Marlborough Town Council has confirmed via its social media accounts that this is a scam phone call which has no connection to the council.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: Marlborough Town Council do not advertise on their website.Marlborough Town Council do not advertise on their website. (Image: Newsquest)

“As a government organisation, we do not carry advertising on our website and will never contact businesses in this way,” said a spokesperson for Marlborough Town Council.

According to Wiltshire Police, every year the British public loses billions of pounds to fraudsters such as these.

This is not the first time that scammers have posed as Marlborough Town Council in the hopes of appearing as a trusted source.

In September 2020, a social media scam advertised a fundraiser craft fair on behalf of the town council, and invited people to book stalls via PayPal.

Marlborough Town Council confirmed at the time that no such event existed.

If you receive a phone call from this Marlborough scammer, or any other scam call, you should inform police by calling 111 or reporting the incident online.