Published on 30th July 2015

Woman wearing a bright pink cardigan holding a mobile phone to her ear and writing on a sheet of paper

Cheltenham Borough Council is reminding residents to be on their guard as hoax callers are claiming to be ‘from the council’.

Believed to be part of a national scam, callers are ringing people across the county and claiming to be from the local authority or NHS.  These calls are not associated in any way with Cheltenham Borough Council.

Ruth Jones, senior counter fraud officer from Cheltenham Borough Council said: “In April of this year we had a few reports of this and, as advised by the police, we reported them to Action Fraud. This week residents have been in touch again saying they have received a phone call from someone claiming to work at the council and asking for personal details.’’

Residents are urged to remain vigilant.

Ms Jones continued:  ‘’If you feel that a call is suspicious or unexpected, don’t give out any personal details. You can either choose to terminate the call or agree to phone the caller back using the council’s main switchboard number, 01242 262626.  A genuine caller from the council will be more than happy to provide their full name and assist in this process.

“We urge anyone who does receive such a suspicious call to report it to Action Fraud.”

To report a suspicious call to Action Fraud please visit their website or call 0300 123 2040.

 

For press enquiries contact: Katie Sandey, communications team leader, telephone 01242 264154, email: [email protected]