ALERT: You could fall victim to this crime at any moment

A warning has gone out that fraudsters are cold-calling victims, falsely stating that they are telephoning from one of the well-known UK telecommunication service providers.
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According to Action Fraud, they call victims claiming to provide a Telephone Preference Service (TPS) - an enhanced call-barring service, which includes barring international call centres.

The fraudsters ask victims to confirm/provide their bank account details, informing them that there is a one-off charge for the service.

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Victims instead see monthly debits deducted from their accounts, which they have not authorised. The fraudsters often target elderly victims.

In all instances, direct debits are set up without following proper procedure.

The victim is not sent written confirmation of the direct debit instruction, which is supposed to be sent within three days.

On occasions when victims attempted to call back, the telephone number provided by the fraudster was either unable to be reached or the victim’s direct debit cancellation request was refused.

During 2017, there were 493 Action Fraud Reports relating to this fraud.