• Reading time:2 mins read

Warning over telephone and email scams

This is a message sent via Neighbourhood Alert. This information has been sent on behalf of Nottinghamshire Police

Message sent by

Lindsay Donnelly (Police, Administrator, Nottinghamshire)

The Nottinghamshire Police Pre Crime Unit is warning of telephone and email scams that have been reported in the last week.

Two people have advised that they have been emailed by individuals purporting to be from Virgin Media.

Both emails have advised the recipient that they owe a sum of money via direct debit for their Virgin Media account. The emails make reference to an account number and request payment. On this occasion both individuals that were contacted do not have a Virgin Media account and upon contacting Virgin Media were advised that this is a scam. Details of this scam and other similar scams can be found on the Virgin Media website.

Similarly a local business has advised that they have received a telephone call from an individual purporting to be from E-on energy. The caller claimed to be calling to offer a 15-20% discount. The business contacted E-on who advised not to give out any personal or account details over the telephone.

In light of these reports we would like to remind people not to transfer money on the strength of a single phone call or email from someone whose identity cannot be confirmed. Nor should you disclose any other details about bank accounts, such as PIN numbers or passwords.

Nottinghamshire Police work closely with Action Fraud which is a one-stop reporting centre handling all reports of Fraud in the UK.

If you’ve received similar calls or emails and think you’ve been scammed, ripped off or conned, you should report it to Action Fraud. Action Fraud can be contacted online by visiting their website or via telephone on 0300 123 2040.

If you believe an individual is targeting vulnerable people in your community to con them you should report it to us on 101.

For further details on how to protect yourself online please refer to our guide.