THE top five scams used to con consumers in the town out of their hard-earned cash and savings have been revealed by Warrington Trading Standards.

In recent weeks, a series of warnings have been published to residents following an increase in reports of fraudsters targeting vulnerable people in the town.

Peter Astley, assistant director for regulation and public protection, said: “Scams are run by professional con artists and it can be very hard to know what to look out for.

“Our advice is that if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

“If you’re contacted out of the blue be on your guard and never give your bank details out unless you are certain you know who the person is, and that you can trust them.”

But now the Warrington Guardian can reveal the most common tricks adopted by con artists to scam unsuspecting residents.

A common ploy used to draw shoppers in is with misleading adverts on sites such as Facebook claiming that a product is available on a free trial but the consumer must pay for postage and packaging.

After the shopper has signed up and submitted card details to pay for postage, their accounts are then debited for large amounts. 

Another trick used by fraudsters is to advertise fake cars on eBay and Autotrader.

Shoppers have agreed to pay up front but are then faced with silence when trying to arrange delivery.

There has also been a number of reports of residents receiving phone calls from people claiming to be from Microsoft.

The fake IT experts claim that there is a problem with their computer which requires the caller to be given access.

Once they have hacked the device the caller then demands money to unlock the computer.

Residents also continue to receive letters claiming that they have won vast sums of money which will be released on payment of an admin fee.

Those who respond to the letters are in danger of being added to a suckers list which will result in them being inundated with similar mail.

Reports of householders being cold called by traders who are offering a variety of goods and services, including bags of compost, gardening work and works of art continue to rise.

This can result in huge amounts of money being demanded.

If you think you have been scammed visit citizensadvice.org.uk.

Tips on how to avoid falling victim to scam artists:

  • If it sounds too good to be true it probably is
  • It you haven’t bought a ticket – you can’t win it
  • You shouldn’t have to pay anything to get a prize
  • If in doubt, don’t reply. Bin it, delete it or hang up
  • Contacted out of the blue? – be suspicious.
  • Don’t be rushed – resist pressure to make a decision straight away.
  • Never send money to someone you have never met.
  • Walk away from job ads that ask for money in advance.
  • Your bank will never phone you to ask for your PIN or your online banking password.
  • Your bank will never ask you to transfer money to a new account for fraud reasons.
  • Suspect a phone scam? Hang up, wait five minutes to clear the line or use another phone to call your bank.