Scam warning following incident in New Milton

We are calling for people to be on their guard after a report of a telephone scam in New Milton.

On Monday 11 November, we received a report that an 82-year-old woman from New Milton was called by someone claiming to be from the ‘Visa Fraud Department’.

The caller claimed that there had been fraudulent activity on the victim’s bank account. He asked her to go to her bank and transfer £4,000 of her savings into another account for safeguarding.

When the woman went to her bank, staff suspected it might be a scam and the matter was reported to the police.

No money was lost.

We would like to remind people that banks will never contact you in this way. It is a scam.

If you do get a call from someone who claims you need to withdraw money from a bank, hang up and report it, using a different phone line.

Make a note of the date and time of the call, and the number, if available – this information could help any future investigation.

Never reveal your bank details or give personal information to people who cold call.

If you know someone who could be taken in by such a scam, please take the time to speak to them and give them this advice.

You can make yourself aware of this type of scam and how to protect yourself against them by visiting the Action Fraud website: www.actionfraud.police.uk
or by calling 0300 123 2040.

If you or someone you know falls victim to this type of offence, please report it immediately to police on 101, or 999 if a crime is in progress.