Police warn Northern Ireland residents to look out for vulnerable relatives after two people robbed of thousands

Two people have been robbed of £13,000 prompting a call from police to be wary of scammers operating in Northern Ireland.
Police have called for Northern Ireland residents to be wary of scams targeting vulnerable people (Photo: Shutterstock)Police have called for Northern Ireland residents to be wary of scams targeting vulnerable people (Photo: Shutterstock)
Police have called for Northern Ireland residents to be wary of scams targeting vulnerable people (Photo: Shutterstock)

The pair of victims were scammed in the lead up to Christmas, with scammers posing as BT employees, according to police.

Chief Superintendent Simon Walls warned family members to "keep an eye on loved ones" following the scam.

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He said: "These scams happened within a day of each other, on Friday 21 December and Saturday, 22 December, in counties Armagh and Tyrone. One of the victims had close to £10,000 taken from their bank account, while the other victim lost £2,500."

Police have called for Northern Ireland residents to be wary of scams targeting vulnerable people (Photo: Shutterstock)Police have called for Northern Ireland residents to be wary of scams targeting vulnerable people (Photo: Shutterstock)
Police have called for Northern Ireland residents to be wary of scams targeting vulnerable people (Photo: Shutterstock)

According to the Chief Superintendent calls were made to victims homes in County Armagh and Tyrone by scammers with one victim being convinced to hand over bank details and another encouraged to download software which could allow the thieves to access.

Looking out for loved ones

Tech-savvy family members have been encouraged to look out for vulnerable family members following the cruel scam.

Chief Superintendent Walls said: "I cannot stress enough just how important it is to be scam aware and to know how easy it is to fall victim to a scam if you don’t spot the signs.

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"I want to appeal to family members to do all they can to let their loved ones know, especially those who are older and vulnerable, never to give out any kind of financial details over the phone or to download software during a call unless they are 110% sure it is safe to do so.

"Scammers are creative and will do whatever they can to con people out of money. They don’t care who their victim is, they just want the money and will employ whatever tactic is necessary.

"Police would advise people to always err on the side of caution when it comes to people asking for your personal details. If you have older members of family, talk with them and tell them legitimate providers will never seek their personal details, such as banking information, over the phone. This is a really important conversation to have.

"Tell them that if they’re at all suspicious about a call they receive, hang up and phone the organisation the person is purporting to represent to check their authenticity. Ideally, make the call from another telephone so you can be sure the original caller has not remained on the line. Never be pressured into a transaction over the phone.

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"Guarding your personal and banking details is essential. Never disclose them to any unauthorised person or allow anyone access to them via your computer.

"Further advice and information can also be obtained by visiting the ScamwiseNI Facebook page @scamwiseni or www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni.

"If you have received a call of this kind or are concerned by the intent of unsolicited calls, emails or letters then please report it to Action Fraud via their website www.actionfraud.police.uk or by phoning 0300 123 2040, or call police on the non-emergency number 101.

"And remember if you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam."