NORTH Wales police are urging the relatives and friends of elderly and vulnerable people to remind them not to give any financial details over the phone and to be wary of unsolicited calls.

The message comes following a number of scams in the Wrexham rural area in which unsuspecting victims have lost hundreds of thousands of pounds to telephone fraudsters.

Inspector Steve Owens said; “These are extremely serious crimes with devastating consequences for the victims, who have been tricked by sophisticated calculating thieves.

“These fraudsters can sound charming, professional and convincing, but in reality they are just criminals who simply don’t care about the financial and emotional damage they cause.

“I am asking people to be on their guard. One of the best ways to get the message across is for families to regularly remind their relatives and friends not to give any financial details to a stranger and to explain that anyone legitimately calling from a bank, or government scheme would never ask for such details over the phone.”

Anyone who believes they or their relatives may have been contacted by such fraudsters should contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or on line https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/contact-us