A 'WORRIED sick' couple has been scammed out of more than £6,000 by fraudsters posing as a council finance worker as the real officials pursue them for the money they still owe.

Clive Mounce, 67, and wife Jill, 66, of Church Lane, Norton, near Worcester paid out £6,126, believing they were paying a legitimate charge to Malvern Hills District Council.

However, months after they paid what they thought was the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) 'in good faith', the council advised the retired couple the payment was never received.

WORRIED: Clive Mounce and wife Jill Mounce of Norton made the payment in good faith to what they believed was Malvern Hills District Council WORRIED: Clive Mounce and wife Jill Mounce of Norton made the payment in good faith to what they believed was Malvern Hills District Council (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

The stressed pensioners, who have contacted their bank, Action Fraud and the Financial Ombudsman Service, now know the cash was stolen by fraudsters.

The bank wrote to Mr Mounce last October, telling him he was the victim of an Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud which can be 'sophisticated and hard to spot' and they would not be refunding him for the loss.

Meanwhile, 'scam' emails demanding payment have 'disappeared' from his inbox and they want the council to cancel the charge and write off the debt. 

A spokesperson for the council said: "We wouldn’t normally comment on individual cases of this nature.

"We can confirm that Malvern Hills District Council have not been hacked."

After explaining the situation to the council, the couple said a finance officer agreed to waive the CIL charge which related to the couple's 'new build' property in Alfrick. 

CHARGE: The bank balance of Clive Mounce shows the payment to 'Malvern Hills Council' CHARGE: The bank balance of Clive Mounce shows the payment to 'Malvern Hills Council' (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

An email to the couple last September read: "Please rest assured we will not ask you to pay the CIL a second time."

However, correspondence since shows Malvern Hills District Council is still pursuing them for the outstanding money.

Mrs Mounce, who is now on medication for anxiety, said: "I was absolutely distraught. It's a lot of money. We haven't got that sort of money. We want to know if Malvern Hills District Council has been hacked and what they have done to investigate it."

Mr Mounce's Lloyds bank account statement says 'Malvern Hills District Council' in reference to the payment. Lloyds Bank wrote to Mr Mounce last October, saying: "We have looked into your claim and based on the information we have, we won't be refunding the money."

The couple is now concerned about how the amount demanded by the scammers was the same as the charge they actually owed to the council. 

Mr Mounce, a former mortgage broker, said: "How did they (the scammers) get all this financial and sensitive information about us like the account number and the address? I'm livid."

Action Fraud told them it has not been possible to identify a line of enquiry which a law enforcement agency in the United Kingdom could pursue.