RESIDENTS are being warned about the latest phone scams which are targetting the most elderly and vulnerable. CPR Call Blocker which makes call blocking devices to stop nuisance phone calls has compiled a list of the most active scams taking place in Berkshire.
Fraudsters have targeted residents by pretending to be a member of the police force.The pretend policeman or detective will convince you to withdraw funds and hand them over to an investigator.
They may give you a fake crime number or investigation details and convince you not to trust bank stuff.In some cases, victims are asked to call 999 or 101 to verify the call is genuine but the scammers keep the line open, so you're actually talking to them.
Chelsea Davies, CPR Call Blocker business development manager, said: “We want to make people in Berkshire aware that scammers are becoming more inventive and if something sounds too good to be true or out of the ordinary, it could well be a scam.
"We always strongly recommend never giving your bank details or paying or something over the phone that you're unsure of. Especially if the call you receive is the first time you have heard of any payment that needs to be made.”
Amazon prime scams have cropped up in recent months, where victims will receive a call from someone claiming to be from Amazon Prime charging you for an annual subscription.They will then tell you the fraudster has hacked into your account to authorise payment, but can be cancelled if you press 1 and then give access to your bank account in order to under the hack.
Amazon Prime will never ask you to do this.A typical bank scam will target victims by claiming to be someone from the bank saying there are problems with your card or account.
Scammers may ask for your account, card and pin numbers and may also advice to transfer your money to a 'safe account' to protect it.On January 22, a scammer fleeced £5,000 out of a woman from Ascot by pretending to be a caller investigating 'suspicious activity in her bank'.
The victim was convinced to part with her banking information and she provided them with details of how much money she had, including her life savings of £5,000.Another type of fraud is a HMRC scam, where you may receive a call from someone saying there is an issue with your tax refund or an unpaid tax bill. They leave a message asking you to call back.
HMRC would never contact residents and ask for personal information or bank details over the phone.Victims have also received 'compensation scams' where a fraudster calls to tell you you are due compensation for a vehicle/work accident and then you are asked to provide personal details or pay an admin fee to proceed.
Finally, some fraudsters will carry out a computer repair scam by claiming to be from Microsoft to tell you your computer has a virus. They will ask you to download 'anti-virus software' which may cost but also turns out to be spyware, used to get your personal details.IT companies will never contact customers over the phone.