It’s come to our attention today (thank you Rona Carson, via our Facebook Page) that there is a phone scam doing the rounds in and around Caerlaverock. There have already been several other people commenting that they’ve had the same/ similar in recent days…

Please be aware!

In this case, the person is pretending to be from the HMRC and may sound very convincing. They may sound well spoken, friendly and polite.

The quick and simple advice is to hang up. The police state, “Don’t be afraid to put the phone down with a brief ‘No, thank you’.”

Just hang up! 

It’s not rude – if it is a genuine call, they will understand. You can call the company yourself, using their number from the phonebook or the internet to check. Don’t call a number they give you – find the genuine number for yourself! (If they are an organised fraudulent company, they will give you a ‘decoy’ number). 

If the call was from a genuine company, you can continue the conversation. If not, you have saved yourself from a potential fraud with possible loss of money/ your details!

The fraudsters can also now make their number appear as a legitimate or local number (thank you Graeme McKirdle), so don’t be taken in by this ‘spoof’ BT information page on ‘spoofing’

The local police advise us at CCA meetings about this kind of scam, (as well as bogus callers to the door). 

Police advise:

What should you do if you get a call?

If you receive a call you’re not expecting, you should be suspicious. The vital things to remember are that your bank, a reputable company and the police would:

NEVER ask for your bank account details, PIN number or private login details over the phone, so do not disclose these to anyone, no matter who they claim to be.

NEVER ask you to withdraw money, send your bank cards, or any other personal property by any means.

They also advise that you:

NEVER give personal information, such as your date of birth, bank details, passwords or codes to unexpected callers.

NEVER allow an unexpected caller to talk you through processes on your computer, like downloading new software or accessing your online bank account.

If you are not happy with a phone call and are suspicious of the conversation you have with the caller then please end the call and report it to us.

(When reporting a suspicious phone call to police, wait at least five minutes before attempting to make the call to ensure you’re not reconnected to the offender.)

Alternatively, use a mobile phone or a neighbour’s phone or test your landline by phoning a friend or relative first, to ensure you aren’t still unwittingly connected to the offender.

If you have concerns about your bank account, call or visit your local branch. 

Be informed!

A few more things to remember:

Your bank/ a reputable company or organisation will never:

Ask you to make a transaction or move money to a different account.
Get you to disclose your full PIN or full online banking password over the phone.
Ask you make a financial decision on the spot without giving you time to consider.
Send someone to your home to collect bank cards, cash or anything else.
Ask you to carry out a test transaction via online banking.
Advise you to buy certain commodities or tell you how to spend your money.

Please speak to vulnerable or elderly friends and neighbours so they feel prepared should they receive a cold call. You could have a few practise runs, to get used to what it might be like, and what to do.

Here’s some links to more reading/ information we’ve found for you: 

Some excellent, detailed information from the police(<<Click this writing/ link)

Advice from the consumer group Which

Advice from the charity ‘Age UK’

This police poster details one particular example of a scam