Devon and Cornwall Police are appealing to Sidmouth residents to be wary of potential fraudsters, targeting the elderly in particular.

PC Harrington said: “The Police are receiving reports of banking and courier fraud where the elderly population are particularly targeted by cold telephone landline calls."

  • Please do not respond to telephone calls from persons purporting that they are from your bank or that they are a police officer
  • Never give out personal details such as your PIN number or bank details over the phone, the police and banks would never ask for these
  • Never withdraw cash in response to such a call no matter how plausible it may seem
  • If you receive such a call please firmly hang up the phone
  • Be careful not to use any telephone number provided by the cold caller and as a precaution do not use your own phone to make a call directly after receiving such a cold call, sometimes the caller may tell you to hang up then call back or call 999 to confirm, but they stay on the line meaning you would be talking to them again

If you are in any doubt contact a member of your family or a trusted neighbour for advice. The police are also there to help on 101. You can also contact your bank directly who would be happy to advise you.