Phone scam warning in Co Durham

Jan 30 2009 By David Old

PEOPLE are being warned about a phone scam in Co Durham.

The warning comes after a fraudster tried to swindle a pensioner living in Stanhope, by pretending he was calling from the Inland Revenue.

The conman knew the 76-year-old widow’s name, address and postcode.

He told her she was entitled to a £160 tax rebate and asked for her bank details.

However, she had been warned about scams by her daughter and refused to give him the information.

DC Frank Hewison said: “The Inland Revenue have confirmed this is not the way they operate and such calls should be treated with suspicion.

“People should be aware that fraudsters are active and should never give out personal finance information to cold callers over the phone, no matter who they claim to be.”