Elderly and vulnerable are targeted in new phone scam across Hampshire
TRADING Standards have released a warning about a new phone scam that promises lottery winnings.
Residents across Hampshire have been targeted by the con.
Fraudulent telemarketers are making unsolicited phone calls to people promising them ready cash in a lottery, sweepstake or even an insurance refund.
Seventeen incidents, including one in Denmead, have been reported in the past few months.
The fraudsters often pretend to be bank officials working for a government body, or lottery representatives, and try to convince consumers that their prize is genuine.
To ‘release’ their winnings, however, victims are told they must pay an upfront fee to allow the transaction to take place. In one incident an elderly lady was swindled out of money after receiving a call from someone claiming to be from the Ministry of Justice.
Leader of Hampshire County Council Cllr Ken Thornber said: ‘This is a new scam which often targets vulnerable residents.
‘In some cases elderly victims have been cheated out of hundreds of pounds as these cold callers can be so convincing with their stories.
‘It is important that everyone is sceptical about any unsolicited offers, refunds or prizes. If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. A genuine government body or lottery operator would never ask someone to pay taxes, insurance or any other fee before receiving their “winnings”.’
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Friday 25 May 2012
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JennyFletcher
Saturday, March 3, 2012 at 10:18 PMAfter I was tormented by silent phone calls, day and night, I got my phone provider Virgin to block calls from anonymous numbers. Unfortunately this can only be used against calls from within the UK, and I still get a few from outside. They claim to be all sorts of organizations real and imaginary. There is a way for genuine callers to get around this block even if their phone system witholds their number. My advice to anyone pestered by calls is to try this remedy. I'm sure BT will do it too.
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