A HERTFORD man has been scammed out of money after revealing his bank details over the telephone.

Police are now warning other Hertfordshire residents to be wary.

The 76-year-old was tricked out of hundreds of pounds after providing personal information to the bogus caller.

The force has had three reports between July and this month of a person losing money after giving their details to a fake caller, who claims to be bank staff or a police officer, and seven reports where no money has been lost.

Residents are advised not to give out personal details to organisations or people without verifying their credentials, to be careful of letters, phone calls and emails offering business deals out of the blue, to delete and not reply to any emails sent by unknown organisations and not to phone premium rate numbers before checking the cost and being happy to pay for it.

For further information about online security, visit www.getsafeonline.org.uk.

For advice on or to report fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

To check the authenticity of premium rate numbers, visit www.phonepayplus.org.uk

Hertfordshire Mercury