West Norfolk warned on scam calls after Downham woman, 81, targeted

West Norfolk residents are warned to be alert to scam callers after an 81-year-old woman says she was targeted over the phone.

Mrs Pat Stubbings, who lives in Downham, said the bogus caller tried to obtain bank details after claiming her partner's card was stolen, but she knew it was a scam.

She said: "Someone rang me and said they were a Detective Constable from London about my partner's card.

"We said my partner's card is in his wallet and he replied: They must have cloned it. They were not very bright as he was then talking to me as if it was my card.

"I knew it was a scam all along but there are a lot of people who don't know about these scams."

Mrs Stubbings believes the scammer was local or had local knowledge since they were aware Downham had a Lloyds Bank – which is in Bridge Street.

• Norfolk police advice published in May 2020, after a spate of scamming incidents whose victims included an elderly man from Fakenham, is that your bank or the police will never ask for your PIN, bank card or bank account details over the phone – never give these details to anybody.

If you feel that you have been the victim of a fraud contact Action Fraud, the national fraud reporting centre HERE.

Or you can telephone them via 0300 123 2040 where you will be able to report the matter.

For further advice and guidance before and after identity theft, go to https://www.cifas.org.uk/, the UK's largest cross-sector fraud sharing organisation.