Fraudsters strike in Seaford

People are being warned not to fall for these bogus contacts.

On Tuesday (February 23) police were told about two such calls, in which a man claimed to be a Metropolitan Police officer investigating a fraud on an Argos shop account.

Fortunately both recipients swiftly recognised the calls were suspicious and hung up.

Sergeant Stuart Mullins of Seaford Police said, “They did the right thing. These calls are best terminated straight away.

“This type of scam is quite common across the country and is used as a means to get bank and account security details.

“Victims are urged to contact their bank and the fraudster pretends to hang up. In fact the line is still open and the fraudster or an accomplice then pretends to be a bank official to glean personal details.

“In some cases they even persuade the victim to surrender cash or their bank card to a ‘courier’ who calls to collect such items.”

Sgt Mullins said people who suspect they are being scammed should use an alternative phone, such as a mobile, to call their bank or the police as the line being used by the fraudster can remain open for some time.

Anyone experiencing such calls is asked to email [email protected] or phone 101. In an emergency, dial 999 and ask for police.

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