POLICE in E District are reminding the public not to fall prey to scams which involve transferring money from your account or through money transfers.
The reminder comes after a resident responded to an ad in a local newspaper offering the opportunity to earn money from home.
The resident contacted the number given in the ad and was told that she would be working as a secret shopper, rating businesses who carry out money transfers on their customer service. The caller’s details were taken and she received a cheque for 5280 Euros.
The resident lodged the cheque in her bank and was asked to withdraw several thousands pounds in cash and transfer it to two different addresses in South Africa.
Police believe this is a scam and are warning the public to be vigilant.
A PSNI spokesperson advised: “Do not share your personal or financial details with any unidentified person. If you are unsure of a bank transaction or suspicious of its validity contact your bank. Do not pass money on to an unidentified person or company.
“We all need to be really alert to the possibility of fraud. That is why we have developed the ‘Little Book of Big Scams’ to help people protect themselves against a number of the most common phone, online and postal scams out there.
“The Little Book of Big Scams is an exceptional crime prevention tool, written in an easy to understand format, with helpful graphics and useful links to other resources. It can be obtained by contacting your local Crime Prevention Officer or by downloading it from the PSNI website www.psni.police.uk. You will also find details of your Crime Prevention officer on this site.”
