Police in county Armagh are advising residents to continue to be cautious when dealing with unsolicited letters, texts, calls, or emails offering loans or to release money, refund fees, pay lottery wins, or give away holidays and prizes.
The advice follows an incident where a resident was contacted by a person who identified themselves as J Wilson. The caller told the resident that he had been underpaid by his bank in relation to the sale of a previous house.
The caller advsied that hey would call to his home with a cheque for £2,400 and that he should have a ukash voucher for £100 ready. No one called to the man’s home however he was contacted a number of times by phone and asked for thenumber of the ukash voucher. The man realised this was a scam and did not purchase a ukash voucher.
People are reminded that scammers are inventive and can be very convincing, however each scam has just one purpose – to tempt you into dropping your guard.
Always be especially wary of any company or individual that asks for money upfront, it is highly unusual for any legitimate compay or organisation to demand a fee in order to release a prize.
Stop and think – if you haven’t recently challenged your bills or bank fees then why expect an offer of a refund? If you haven’t entered a competition for a holiday or if you haven’t entered a foreign lottery, then how would it be possible for you to have won a prize? If you haven’t inquired about PPI payments or personal injury compensation, then why would someone be offering to pay it?
Guarding your personal and banking details is essential as well. Never disclose them to any unauthorised person. Your bank will never contact you asking for account numbers, passwords or PINs.
If you have received a contact of this kind or are concerned by the intent of unsolicited calls, emails or letters then please report it to police on the non-emergency telephone 0845 600 8000.
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