Telford pensioner speaks up about scam close call
A Telford pensioner has spoken out to warn others after she managed to evade a telephone scam.
Grandmother of six Nancy Walton, from Madeley, said she regularly received cold calls and a caller on Tuesday offered to help her stop them.
The 78-year-old said: "On Tuesday after lunch I had this phone call from a very nice person. Usually I put the phone down if I don't recognise the person.
"She knew my name and my address and my phone number so I went along with it.
"She told me she could block these cold calls I get and I said that would be good.
"She said my credit card had expired and I said yes, she said I pay everything by debit card and I said yes.
"She asked if I could give her the three digits on the back of my card and I said no and hung up. Then I called the police the next morning.
"People should know more about this, they should be more aware. The police agreed it sounded like a scam."
West Mercia Police spokesman, Kieren Bodill, said: "We take telephone scams extremely seriously and we would urge people to remain vigilant to these calls and to always report any suspicious activity.
"We would advise residents to never give out any personal details over the phone. Genuine banks would never ask for your pin, ask you to transfer money to them or send a courier to collect your cards.
“We would also encourage the local community to share this advice, via social media and with your vulnerable relatives, to ensure they are equipped with the information to prevent becoming a victim.
"If anyone receives a suspicious call, they should hang up immediately and dial 1471 to try and take down the number. Then please report it to us by calling 101 or 999 if a crime is in progress."
