The following scams have recently been brought to our attention. Please be aware of them and follow the recommendations at the end of each. Please, also let any others you know about them, particularly if the are old or vulnerable.

Postal Scam

A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (This is a premium rate number).

DO NOT call this number - it is a mail scam originating from Belize. If you call the number and start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £315 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 0207 7239 6655.

For more information see the Crime Stoppers website: www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Telephone Call Scam

Rogue traders are currently telephone cold calling vulnerable residents in Hampshire. The caller is unknown but believed to be male and very threatening. He has told residents that they had subscribed to a telephone monitoring service and had run up a bills of between £3,500 - £6,000 and defaulted on the payment. They are then asked for immediate payment over the phone by card. When they question this they have been told that unless they pay up they will be arrested within hours by the Metropolitan Police and transported to the Queens Court in London.

Anyone receiving these calls should hang up and are advised to register with anonymous call barring from their telephone provider or to consider changing their telephone number and keeping their number ex directory.

If anyone has any information about traders who are cold calling or requires any advice on doorstep crime they can contact Hampshire County Council’s Quick Response Team on 01962 833666 (Monday - Friday 09.00 to 17.00) where specially trained officers are on hand to provide assistance.

If urgent assistance is required outside of these hours please contact Hampshire Police on 0845 045 4545.