Local residents are being warned of yet another scam circulating the region, this time in the form of dogdy phone calls aimed at ripping off pensioners.
In the third scam to be reported in our region in recent weeks, on this occasion people are being urged to be wary of callers offering tax refund payments in return for a fee.
Police have issued the alert following reports made by a 65-year-old woman who received a telephone call from a man claiming to be from the Australian Tax Office.
The man quoted the woman's pension number and told her she was entitled to receive a tax refund of several thousand dollars.
He said she would need to visit a financial institution to deposit a fee into an account.
Thankfully, the woman was suspicious and wasted no time contacting police who are now investigating the incident.
Last month, similar fraudulent claims were being made by con artists mailing their requests to households.
On each occasion, personal account details and names were used on letterheads in a sophisticated attempt to obtain fund transfers from unsuspecting elderly residents.
Police would like to warn members of the public to be wary of any offers of money, particularly those over the phone or via email, and urge members of the community not to transfer money into the accounts of people they don't know.
They would also like to hear from anyone who has information about this kind of scam, or might have been approached in a similar manner.
Anyone who can assist should phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
