Surrey Police are urging people to be wary of phone calls leading to scams and victims have recorded more than £180,000 in losses to these scams within months.

e.g. an elderly lady from Surrey was phoned by a man claiming to be from BT and he had called to warn her that they were going to turn her Internet connection off for 24 hours  for improvements.

He directed her to a website to download some test software and informed her that compensation would be paid. He just needed her bank details to make the transfer. With that information, the scam moved up a gear and he convinced her to transfer all the money in her account to one he controlled.

The Police warn that these callers target the elderly and will take any money they can get.

They also warn everyone to be careful on receiving an unsolicited call-

• Do not give financial details to anyone by phone
• Do not make payment for a service you did not request
• Do not allow anyone to have remote access to your computer
• Trust your instincts – if unsure then end the conversation

If you have any experiences with such scams do let me know, by email.