SCAMS are out of control.

Your published warning from the police over the latest, and most vile scam call yet - the ‘HMRC is starting legal proceedings against you’ nonsense is, as usual, too late for most people.

I received such a call, but realised it was ridiculous as HMRC or any other body would not (hopefully) risk their reputation and waste yet more public money before they had even raised a case with you and engaged in dialogue to resolve matters. But how many vulnerable people were scared witless by this bogus call?

It came on a day when I was at home and trying to work on the computer. It was the last in a trail of “you have a problem with your computer” (no I haven’t!) and “you need to renew the cover on your washing machine” (which I haven’t got!).

It seems that if you are over 65, you’re considered a ‘geri’ and fair game for such abuse!

Our residual, and largely ineffectual police force, don’t even know how to start dealing with this plague; the politicians are far too busy with their Christmas pantomime ‘Sex and the City of Westminster’ in 300 acts (can’t they get a decent scriptwriter?) and the likes of BT, who, surely, are in the best position to block this abuse, are too busy counting their doubloons, hyper-hiking their prices yet again and joining in by trying to flog you a useless machine/ system that can’t possibly work.

Where will this all end? Are we on the brink of Mad Max World?

Mike Wildish, Watson Acre, Andover.