Elderly targeted in bank card scam

A 90-year-old visually-impaired woman from Bexhill was the latest victim to be tricked by fraudsters.

Detect Sergeant Tony Webb, of East Sussex CID, said: “The modis operandi is as follows: the fraudster will make a phone call to an elderly person, referring to them by their name and asks them if their new bank card has arrived.

“When the victim replies that they haven’t received a new card the fraudster says that they will arrange to have one delivered. A male delivers the new card shortly afterwards and they take the victim’s old bank card and ask for the PIN as well, claiming they will destroy/deactivate the card. However, the new card that is handed over to the unsuspecting victim is just a top up bank card with no money on it.

“Please do not ever reveal your PIN number to anyone who asks you for it. Banks do not operate in this way when sending out new cards to customers.

“If you have an elderly family member or elderly neighbours please make sure they are aware of this recent fraudulent tactic concerning bank cards and of course it’s important to call the police immediately if you have been the victim of a similar fraudulent act.”