Telephone scam sees elderly and vulnerable victims in Wrexham lose hundreds of thousands of pounds

Elderly and vulnerable residents in Wrexham have been conned out of hundreds of thousands of pounds after being targeted by telephone fraudsters.

Police say there have been a number of scams in rural parts of the county borough, with fraudsters targeting the victims via phone in a bid to steal money.

Victims have reportedly lost ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds’ as a result of the telephone fraudsters.

Relatives and friends of elderly and vulnerable people to remind them not to give any financial details over the phone and to be wary of unsolicited calls.

Inspector Steve Owens said: “These are extremely serious crimes with devastating consequences for the victims, who have been tricked by sophisticated calculating thieves.

“These fraudsters can sound charming, professional and convincing, but in reality they are just criminals who simply don’t care about the financial and emotional damage they cause.

“I am asking people to be on their guard. One of the best ways to get the message across is for families to regularly remind their relatives and friends not to give any financial details to a stranger and to explain that anyone legitimately calling from a bank, or government scheme would never ask for such details over the phone.”

Anyone who believes they or their relatives may have been contacted by such fraudsters should contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or on line https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/contact-us