KINGSBRIDGE Police Sargent Dave Green has warned that local people are being contacted by fraudsters seeking to obtain personal security details.

Sgt Green said: ‘Fraudsters are targeting people just like you. In December 2015, the UK Banking Industry reported card fraud losses totalling £59 million. We want that to stop.

‘Be aware of suspicious text messages that ask you to call a telephone number, click on a link or ask you for security details. Be aware fraudsters can spoof telephone numbers to make a text message look like it is actually from your bank.

‘If genuinely contacted by your bank, they will never ask you for your PIN. They will never ask you to use your online card reader to generate any form of code. If in doubt hang up and contact your bank on an approved number you have for them.

‘Auction sites such as Gumtree or eBay may be used to sell fictitious cars, caravans, tickets, cameras and other electrical goods. Legitimate trading websites may be used to advertise and accept payment for goods which do not exist.

‘Holiday let scams are where a person enters into agreement with someone online and pays that person not realising they are not the owners of the property, or that the property does not exist. ‘Fraudsters may send an organisation a change in bank mandate for a genuine invoice/purchase order so that payment is made to a fraudsters account rather than to the genuine supplier.

‘Banks will not send emails to customers requesting security or confidential details (such as membership numbers, online card reader codes, passcodes or memorable word information).

‘The people responsible for these ’phishing’ emails send the same message to as many email addresses as they can. They may know your name or address, but they do not know your personal security details - the aim of the contact is to get these details.

‘The best way to safeguard yourselves against this is to never give personal details to someone who contacts you out of the blue. You can always phone your bank to check the call is genuine.’