Published: Tuesday, 24th September 2024
Vulnerable people using pendant care alarms, holders of alcohol licences and council tax payers – scammers are targeting them all at the moment.
The council is most concerned about people who may be vulnerable to pressure tactics from scammers demanding payment over the phone or account details for refunds.
In the latest scams, pendant users may be told either that a payment is due for their unit or that they need to make a payment to keep their unit working because of the digital switchover.
In one incident in West Norfolk, a pendant user was called by a person asking for bank card details to ‘renew’ their payments. In another the scammer appeared legitimate because they already knew the user’s name and some other details. (This is a common tactic - scammers will get a few details, sometimes from publicly-available information, sometimes from information hacked from other sources/websites, to appear genuine.)
The council’s Community Health and Wellbeing Manager, Judith Berry, said: “This is a complex scam because the digital switchover is real and it will affect users of care alarms – so they are using a bit of truth to give authenticity to their scam.
“However, the council would never just phone someone asking for money like this. Our advice is, if someone calls asking for money for any reason, put the phone down and press your pendant. Wait until you receive a call and then talk to the operator.
“We would also recommend talking it over with a friend or relative but whatever you choose to do, never, ever, give out your bank or card details to a cold caller – even if they already seem to know some of your details.”
The council’s own service, Careline Community Service, has approximately 3,500 users but there are many other providers and users of any of these services may be targeted.
It isn’t the first time users have been targeted – the council issued a similar warning last year. As well as asking users of care alarms to be vigilant, it is appealing to family and friends to check on loved ones to make sure they are aware of possible scams and know to say no.
Other scams* include holders of alcohol licences being contacted by fraudsters and advised that their licence has expired and requires renewal. At the moment the council has not been made aware of any incidents in West Norfolk but it is urging licence holders to be aware.
The council’s licensing manager advised that if the annual fee has not been paid the council would write to the licence holder to notify them, with a copy of the invoice.
Finally, the council is aware of fraudsters calling people asking for bank details to pay council tax refunds. Again, the council has not currently been made aware of any incidents in West Norfolk recently but people can be targeted at any time.
If anyone calls saying they are from the council asking for bank details, hang up. Call the council on 01553 616200 or go to www.west-norfolk.gov.uk and click onto a webchat. Our customer service colleagues can check and will be happy to help. If you are calling, you should wait for at least five minutes after you hung up before calling or, preferably, call from a different number.