Three people have been scammed out of around £30,000 over the past number of weeks, leading police to issue an appeal to be vigilant.
One victim was contacted by a man claiming to be from the HMRC who said they were owed money due to unpaid tax and asked them to transfer money to an account.
The victim unfortunately transferred the money and were scammed out of around £13,000.
On Tuesday, May 18, police received a report that a man had received a message from someone claiming to be from his bank and stated that someone was attempting to access his account.
The message instructed him to ring a number which he did, he was then told on the call to transfer his money into another account. Unfortunately he agreed and has been scammed out of almost £13,000.
And on Monday, May 24, a man received a text message claiming to be from his bank stating there was suspicious activity on his account and it had been suspended. He then received a telephone call from a man claiming he was phoning from the bank.
He obtained bank details from the man and £5,000 was taken from the account.
Superintendent Gerard Pollock said money lost to scammers is a horrible experience.
“The threat of fraud, both online and offline, against the public is a constant focus for us and I want to take this opportunity to again appeal to people that on no account should anyone disclose their personal or financial details over the phone; always err on the side of caution,” he said.
“It’s really important that if you have older members of family, talk with them and tell them legitimate providers will never seek their personal details, such as banking information, over the phone. This is a really important conversation to have.
“Guarding your personal and banking details is essential. Never disclose them to any unauthorised person.”
The advice is if you have any suspicions at all about a call you receive, hang up and phone the organisation the person is claiming to represent to check their authenticity.
“Ideally, make the call from another telephone so you can be sure the original caller has not remained on the line. Never be pressured into a transaction over the phone.
“If you have any concerns about unsolicited calls, emails or letters then please report it to Action Fraud via their website www.actionfraud.police.uk or by phoning 0300 123 2040. You can also call police on the non-emergency number 101,” added Superintendent Gerard Pollock.
For further advice and information visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni or the ScamwiseNI Facebook page @scamwiseni.