Published: Thursday, 26th June 2025
Business owners, especially licensed premises in West Norfolk, are warned to be on their guard after a spate of incidents in which scammers tried to get them to pay fake council fees.
The council has been contacted by three businesses that have been approached in the past 10 days but it is certain more have been targeted and it is advising licensees to check with the council if they have been approached.
Cabinet Member for Licensing, Jim Moriarty, said:
“These people are abysmal. Many of the businesses being targeted are small, family businesses or local franchisees – these are not large companies that can contain a certain amount of loss.
“We want to do everything we can to protect our local businesses so they know how to spot a fraud and what to do if they are suspicious.”
The scammers are writing to businesses or calling them demanding payment of annual fees. This can be harder to identify than some other types of scams because the council does charge an annual fee for licensing.
It advises business owners to check:
- When is the annual fee usually paid? The council’s invoice will arrive at the same time each year so if a demand for payment is at a different time, it probably isn’t genuine.
- If the annual fee isn’t paid, a suspension notice for the licence is issued. This will be three weeks after the due date for the original licence so this date can be checked.
- If the council has called to collect payment, is it out of the blue? The council will only call after it has invoiced AND issued a suspension notice so if you haven’t received these, it is probably a scam.
Finally, if in doubt, call the council. No council officer will object to someone saying they want to check or apply pressure to someone to pay without checking. If someone calls and doesn’t want you to check, it’s a scam. Put the phone down and wait at least 10 minutes, or ideally call from a different phone, and ring the council switchboard on 01553 616200.