‘Be vigilant against frauds and scams’: Police

The warning comes following an incident where a resident of Ballymoney paid out mo ne y through Paypoint to a company who claimed they would send them a cheque for a large amount of money.

A caller from a company called Ministry of Justice Reclaim contacted the man and said they had a cheque for him, money they had reclaimed on his behalf. The man was advised to use paypoint to make a payment of £500 and then asked to give the paypoint voucher codes over the phone so that the money could be claimed by the company.

This was a scam.

Paypoint voucher codes should never be given out online or over the phone.

Members of the public are reminded that they should never pay out money or give personal details to any company without verifying that they are genuine. If a company or individual contacts you and you are unsure or feel that something is not right then ask for details to ascertain their identity.

Ask where they are phoning from, where they have got your details from and where they have obtained your telephone number. Ask them if there is a number you can phone them back on or if there is another representative from their company that you can contact.

If you are still unsure about them then contact the company or business to check if the call is genuine. Legitimate companies won’t have a problem with you calling them back. Never give any personal or bank details over the phone.

Anyone who has any information in relation to this incident, believes they may have been a victim of this type of scam or has any concerns should contact police on 0845 600 8000.