A warning has been issued after an elderly and vulnerable resident paid £99 to fraudsters for a useless and potentially dangerous ‘plug-in' energy saving device.
The fraudster contacted the elderly woman by telephone claiming to be from her energy supplier.
The caller offered her a plug-in device which they claimed would reduce her energy bills by 40 per cent.
This is a known scam, which has caused elderly and vulnerable customers up and down the country to give out their bank details over the phone.
The caller always appears to be very credible because they provide the consumer's details and, on occasions, some or all of the digits of their debit or credit card. Payment for the device is taken over the phone.
A few days later, the consumer will receive a small grey plastic plug-in device, circle on the front with the following wording: "Intelligent energy saver electricity-saving box the result is the best".
Be wary of cold callers
This particular fraud happened in Leicestershire. As fraudsters move and change the geographical areas they operate in, all UK residents should also be vigilant about this type of fraud.
David Bull, Head of Leicestershire County Council's Trading Standards Service said:"Unscrupulous criminals are using the rise in energy prices as an opportunity to con people - elderly people seem to have been deliberately targeted.
"If a device has been received consumers should not use it as it poses a potential fire risk. Consumers should never give out any personal financial information over the telephone to unknown callers".
Read more about the bogus bank phone calls on the Leicestershire County Council's website.
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To report a fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.
