Police in the South Lakes area are issuing a warning for people to be to be vigilant and on their guard against scam phone calls following a number of reports in recent days.
Police have received reports where calls were made to people in the area pretending to be police officers, stating that the victims bank card has been cloned.
The scammers have then requested victims withdraw cash from the bank, for this to be collected at a later time by a courier.
Police and other agencies would never request this.
If you have any concern that the person on the phone may be a fraudster, put the phone down and call the police or your bank from a different phone on 101 for advice and guidance.
If you receive a call you’re not expecting, you should be suspicious. The vital things to remember are that your bank, other agencies and the police would:
• Never ask you for your bank account details or PIN number over the phone.
• Never ask you to withdraw money and send it to them via a courier, taxi, bank transfer or by any other means. The suspect might refer to a safe account, and that the money will be moved there.
• Never ask you to send your bank cards or any other personal property to them via courier, taxi or by any other means.
• If you have any doubts about the identity of the person that you are speaking with, put the phone down and attend the bank or police station in person, wherever possible, to discuss the call you have received, or call a trusted number for the bank or police using a different telephone than the one that you have been contacted on.
Police would also ask people to share this advice with family and friends, particularly any elderly relatives who may not see this advice online.
If you think you have been the victim of a fraud you can report this to police on 101 and to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 – or by visiting their website at: UK's Home for Reporting Cyber Crime & Fraud - Report Fraud