Be wary of phone fraud, warn Honiton police

Residents urged to be vigilant after a recent increase in reports of telephone and courier fraud.

Honiton police are advising residents to be vigilant after a recent increase in reports of telephone and courier fraud.

PCSO Steve Mingo said: “This type of fraud is rising. However, you can prevent it by taking a few simple precautions. We urge those with elderly relatives or neighbours to spread the message about telephone fraud, as the fraudsters will often target this generation. The police or your bank will never ask for your bank card number, pin or cash over the phone.

“You should never disclose your pin to anyone and, if you receive a call that you suspect is a scam, tell the caller you will be reporting them to the police and put the phone down - this will often be enough to put them off.

“A version of this type of fraud is where the caller will portray themselves to be from the Met Police and will attempt convince their victim to transfer thousands of pounds to a ‘secure’ bank account as part of the ‘investigation’.

“If you have received a call from a fraudster that has attempted to deceive you or has, indeed, succeeded, let us know by calling police on 101.”