Police warning after £1,500 phone scam
ADVICE has been issued by police in Widnes after scammers duped a Hale Village resident out of £1,500 by pretending to be from a broadband and telecomms provider.
A Cheshire police alert sent out by PSCO Stephen Marnick, from Widnes Local Policing Unit, said that officers fear there could be more people who have fallen victim to bogus calls but may not have reported it to officers yet.
The message said that a telephone caller claiming to be from Talk Talk conned a Hale Village resident out of £1,500 after speaking to them on Monday, March 13.
A Ditton resident also reported a caller to police who was pretending to be from her bank.
The alert said: “Our main advice is do not take any telephone call at face value if you cannot be certain they are genuine.
“The people making these calls are good at it, we know that because we hear from the victims.
“You do not have to continue into a conversation with them. It is not impolite to tell the caller you do not want to carry on with the conversation.
“Please, if you have an elderly resident nearby, a relative you can contact or some other vulnerable person who you feel may benefit from advice please get in touch with them and help us raise awareness.
“Don’t feel as though you have been silly and it was your fault – report it.”
Residents are being advised to not give away any personal information to suspected scammers as it could be added to details they may have already accessed from the internet or social media.
Those who have received a call which they believe is a possible scam or have passed on information can call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk ●