RINGMASTER MESSAGE 1484 Thursday 10 September 2009

Nottinghamshire Police and BT have warned Nottinghamshire residents to be on their guard about a phone scam that tries to con people into giving their bank details out over the phone.

The fraudsters have been pretending to „cut off‰ the customer and, worried about having their line cut off, some people have been persuaded into giving the fraudsters their bank account details.

A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said: "This has been taking place in various locations across the country, and now seems to have made its way to Nottinghamshire."

A member of a Nottinghamshire Neighbourhood Watch was called but refused to give out their details, and everyone should remember that they should never give out any personal or bank details over the phone.

A BT spokesperson said: „While BT does have debt handling procedures which may involve calling customers, BT never carries out disconnections during the call by way of proof.

"We advise customers never to give out any banking details over the phone unless they are absolutely certain who they are dealing with.

If there is any doubt at all, a BT employee will be able to give the customer their employee ID number and an 0800 number to call where the customer can check that they are who they say they are. The customer can also check their identity by calling 0800 800 150."

Anyone who thinks they have been the victim of this scam should call Nottinghamshire Police on 0300 3009999.

End of Message 1484

John Lennard