Officers are asking the public to remain vigilant following a report of a series of scam calls, to members of the public in Cumbria from fraudsters pretending to be police officers, HMRC or bank fraud teams.

The scam differ slightly from call to call however the fraudsters often request bank details, money to be sent electronically, cash to be withdrawn at the bank and/or expensive items to be purchased for collection at a later time.

Advice from local officers is as follows:

• If you receive a call you’re not expecting, you should be suspicious. The vital things to remember are that your bank and the police would:
• Never ask you for your bank account details or PIN number over the phone.
• Never ask you to withdraw money and send it to them via a courier, taxi, bank transfer or by any other means.
• Never ask you to send your bank cards, or any other personal property, to them via courier, taxi or by any other means.
• If you have any doubts about the identity of the person that you are speaking with, please put the phone down and attend the bank or Police station in person, wherever possible to discuss the call you have received, or call a trusted number for the Bank or police using a different telephone than the one that you have been contacted on.

We ask that the public please share this information with any vulnerable friends or family.

If you think you have been the victim of a fraud you can report this to police on 101 and to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 – or by visiting their website at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/