An elderly resident in Berrow has this week become the latest local person to fall victim to telephone scammers, prompting a new warning from the police.
Officers are urging residents to be alert to phone scams which involve unexpected requests for money by telephone or for bank card details.
Over the past year, many victims of the scam have been persuaded to part with thousands of pounds of cash in the Burnham area.
A Burnham police spokeswoman told Burnham-On-Sea.com this week: “An elderly resident in Berrow is the latest to be subjected to the scam. She has passed her details to the phone operator to take payment of £84.99.”
“We need to make other residents aware that this is happening again and to be extra vigilant.”
Police say there are some simple, but effective, measures that people can take to minimise the risk of becoming a victim of these scams:
• Never give anyone your bank card or divulge your pin number.
• If in doubt call either your bank or the police, but don’t use the number that you are given by the caller.
• Before you make the call, either use a different telephone or wait for a dialling tone to ensure the bogus callers are not still on the line.
If you have any information about any financial scams or suspected crimes, or you wish to report that you have become the victim of a financial crime, you can contact the police’s Action Fraud line on 0300 123 2040.
