A man in his 70s has been scammed out of a significant sum of money.
Police are appealing to people to be on their guard following a number of incidents in the Ards and North Down area yesterday (Friday 1 October).
Superintendent Brian Kee said police received a report that the man in his 70s had been contacted by a man claiming that he owed legal fees to a company.
“He was told that if he paid them quickly, he could get a full refund. Unfortunately the man made a number of payments before discovering that he had fallen victim to a scam,” said Superintendent Brian Kee.
In a second incident in the same area, a man in his 80s reported that he had been informed by his bank that a company based abroad had attempted to take money from his account.
Fortunately in this case, the bank was able to rectify the transaction.
Superintendent Kee said it is distressing to see people swindled out of their hard-earned money.
“It is a horrible experience for them. We would always urge people to contact the company the person are proclaiming to be from directly, via an independently sourced phone number, before speaking to them any further.
“It’s also really important to talk to older or vulnerable members of your family and explain that legitimate companies and providers will never seek their personal details, such as banking information, over the phone,” said Superintendent Brian Kee.
Anyone concerned they have been a victim of a scam either report the matter to Action Fraud via their website www.actionfraud.police.uk or by phoning 0300 123 2040.
Police can be contacted on the non-emergency number 101 or you can submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/.
For further advice and information, visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni or the ScamwiseNI Facebook page @scamwiseni.