Police warning over online phone scams in Northern Ireland

A man in his 70s in the Ards and north Down area was scammed out of a significant amount of money on Friday, while on the same day another man in his 80s was contacted by fraudsters only for his bank to rectify the transaction.

Superintendent Brian Kee said: “Police received a report that a man in his 70s had been contacted by a male claiming that he owed legal fees to a company. He was told that if he paid them quickly, he could get a full refund. Unfortunately the man made a number of payments before discovering that he had fallen victim to a scam.

“In a second incident in the same area, a man in his 80s reported that he had been informed by his bank that a company based abroad had attempted to take money from his account.

“Fortunately in this case, the bank was able to rectify the transaction.”

Superintendent Kee added: “We understand how distressing it is for people who are swindled out of their hard-earned money. It is a horrible experience for them.

“We would always urge people to contact the company the person are proclaiming to be from directly, via an independently sourced phone number, before speaking to them any further.”

Police have also warned against a scam that asks people to download apps to their personal devices which fraudsters then use to access personal details.

Chief Inspector Mark Roberts said: “This particular scam is increasingly common at the moment. The victim receives a call from an apparently reputable organisation asking them to download an app which will allow the scammer to view the device. Once this is complete, the scammers remove security software from the individuals device before asking them to open up other apps such as personal banking or e-mail.

“These reports show that fraudsters are continuously coming up with more sophisticated ways of taking money and personal information from unsuspecting victims and people of all ages and backgrounds are suffering as a result.

“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 or download apps at the request of individuals they do not know.”

Anyone who is concerned they have been a victim of a scam can report the matter to Action Fraud via their website www.actionfraud.police.uk or phone 0300 123 2040.

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