POLICE have issued advice following several reports of residents getting phone calls from people asking for personal information and bank details.
The police advise:
- Do not reveal personal details. Never give out personal or financial information (such as your bank account details or your PIN) over the phone, even if the caller claims to be from your bank.
- Hang up. If you feel harassed or intimidated, or if the caller talks over you without giving you a chance to speak, end the call. It may feel rude to hang up on someone, but you have the right not to be pressurised into anything.
- Ring the organisation. If you’re unsure whether the caller is genuine, you can always ring the company or bank they claim to be from.
- Make sure you find the number yourself and don’t use the one provided by the caller.
- Don’t be rushed. Scammers will try to rush you into providing your personal details.
They may say they have time-limited offer or claim your bank account is at risk if you don’t give them the information they need right away.
There are various websites that provide further information on this type of call.
These can be accessed by typing in the words scam, or fraud, in the search boxes of www.ageuk.org.uk/; www.which.co.uk; or actionfraud.police.uk/.
