Shropshire scam warning over bogus Citizens Advice Bureau cold calls
Imposters are posing as Citizens Advice Bureau officials in Shropshire to cold-call people pretending to offer help with accident claims.
The CAB today said it had been contacted by several members of the public. Hundreds of calls are believed to have been made to homes across Shropshire.
The CAB says it believes fraudsters are using the good reputation of the organisation to get money from the public.
Jackie Jeffrey, chief executive of Citizens Advice Shropshire, described the calls as a "despicable scam" trading on public trust in the service.
People were warned today not to give out or confirm any personal information if they receive a suspicious call.
Mrs Jeffrey said: "This is a despicable scam that trades on public trust in our service.
"We were horrified when someone contacted us to say they had had a call from someone claiming to be from Citizens Advice offering help with accident claims and we have had several more members of the public contact us since with the same issue.
"We want to stress to everyone that no genuine CAB adviser, or anyone else connected with the CAB service, would ever phone or text someone out of the blue.
"If you do get cold calls or get a text about such things as loan offers, help with debt problems or, as in this case, help with accident claims – it is almost certainly a scam.
" People should never confirm or provide any personal information."
The CAB urged anyone who suspects they have been targeted to contact it or report incidents to Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and internet crime.
Citizens Advice Shropshire helps around 9,000 people per year with issues such as dealing with debt, benefits and tax credits, as well as employment and housing issues.
