Mid Ulster MLA’s wife falls victim to would-be phone scammers

Patsy McGlone, SDLP MLA for the area, said the would-be fraudsters had tried to get his wife to reveal her bank details, however, she became “immediately suspicious” and the call was discontinued.

“Recently an unsolicited phone call was made to my home by a man who claimed he was from the UK Finance Department, Central Office, of a bank offering a refund of bank charges”, said Mr McGlone.

The SDLP man warned members of the public to be vigilant following the incident.

“There have been a number of these attempted scams in recent months and it would appear that this is just the latest”, Mr McGlone continued. “The callers will sometimes try to trick you into appearing to phone your bank back, when in fact you will still be on the same call.

“The advice from the police in all of these cases is the same; do not give your bank account details to anyone over the phone. If you are going to call your bank use a number you know to be genuine and, after an unsolicited call, use a different phone. These criminals are not offering a surprise windfall; they are after your money.”