Rural crime, cold callers and scams were the focus of a police operation today (Monday) in east Antrim.
The cross district operation, about raising awareness of the scams used by fraudsters to take money from people, was in partnership with colleagues from HMRC and Trading Standards.
This involved vehicle checkpoints and carrying out patrols in known cold caller areas, as well as a number of local engagement opportunities to share advice and information about scams.
PSNI Inspector Colin Ash said while it should be noted that not all cold callers are rogue traders, it is their intention that this, and future operations, will help put a stop to those unofficial traders who overcharge for poor quality work or work that is never completed.
“Today was also about raising awareness about the various scams used by fraudsters to take money from unsuspecting members of the public and we were delighted to have the support from our colleagues in HMRC and Trading Standards to help share the message,” he said.
“We all need to be vigilant of any contact from an unsolicited source, whether that is from doorstep callers, telephone, mail or online and education is our best weapon in preventing people from becoming victims,” he added.
William Malloy, Trading Standards Service, said consumers, particularly the old and vulnerable, are often targeted by scammers when it comes to the repair or maintenance of homes and driveways.
“Consumers must be on their guard especially when they have been cold called or have responded to a recent leaflet drop,” he added.
A spokesperson for HMRC said they know that criminals will try and use events like the end of the financial year, the self-assessment deadline, and the issuing of tax refunds to target the public and attempt to get them to reveal their personal data.
The spokesperson said it is important to be alert to the danger.
“HMRC will call people about outstanding tax bills, and sometimes use automated messages. However it would include your taxpayer reference number. If you are uncertain of the caller, hang up and call HMRC directly to check. You can confirm genuine HMRC communications and call centre numbers on gov.uk,” added the spokesperson.
Further advice and information on scams can be found by visiting www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni or the ScamwiseNI Facebook page @scamwiseni.