Kris Walker of Tarraganda said on Thursday morning she was at her in-laws house when the phone rang and she answered it.

It was from a man with an Indian accent who called himself “Marvin Smith”, and said he was from the CDPP at the Australian Taxation Office in Canberra and was looking for a “Mrs Walker”.

Ms Walker knew it was a scam, so said she was “Mrs Walker”.

“Mr Smith” gave her an ID number, a reference number, then an arrest warrant number.

He said Ms Walker was going to be arrested for unpaid back taxes from 2009-2013 and would receive a $95,000 fine.

He threatened to freeze her assets, and said she would go to jail as the police were coming to pick her up.

He gave Ms Walker dates of when he had mailed letters to the house, said a tax officer had visited her house and left a notice on the door.

Throughout the conversation, Ms Walker said he was very rude and unpleasant, telling her not to interrupt him as he read everything out.

Ms Walker finally got a word in and asked which “Mrs Walker” he was looking for.

“Mr Smith” gave her the address of her in-laws house, and the initials of what he clamed was “Mrs Walker” – but the initials were actually for Ms Walker’s father-in-law, not her or her mother-in-law.

After this, Ms Walker hung up.

Ms Walker said her husband had received three such calls, and after informing the Bega Police they told her 10 other people in the Valley had also come forward stating they had received such calls.

The man didn’t always use the same name.

Ms Walker said older people might be shocked by the threats the man was making, and not pick up that it was a scam.

“People need to be aware,” Ms Walker said.

“It was horrific, what he was saying.

“My in-laws are in their 80s, and they would have just panicked.”

“Mr Smith” left a message on her home phone, so Ms Walker said she would discover what number he had called from and notify the police.

“We’re reminding people to be vigilant and cautious when answering these sort of telephone enquiries, and not to give out personal details over the phone without verifying their bona fides,” Inspector Angela Burnell from the Far South Coast Local Area Command said.