Residents in parts of County Durham have been targeted with a doorstep scam that has seen scammers knock on people’s doors pretending to carry out a council survey.
Homeowners in Witton Gilbert have reportedly been victims of strangers visiting their houses claiming to be carrying out a survey on behalf of Durham County Council, which involves getting the bank details of the occupants of the property as part of a ‘thank you’ payment.
However, the scammers have then taken the details and proceeded to scam their victims.
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Durham County Council has confirmed that the survey is a scam, and it is not their officers or volunteers carrying out this exercise around the streets of Witton Gilbert.
Taking to social media on Thursday (July 21) – the local authority put out a warning to residents about the scam by saying: “We have been advised that people are knocking on doors in the Witton Gilbert area claiming they are doing a survey on our behalf.
“They are asking for the householder’s bank details so they can receive a thank you payment.
“This is a scam – please do not hand over your bank or other personal details.”
Homeowners in Witton Gilbert have been targeted with a survey scam. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO
Alongside the survey scam, the county council also advised members of the public in County Durham about three other scams that are continuing to happen across the region to be aware about:
- If you receive a text message about being eligible to claim a covid 19 grant for self-isolating, be careful, this is a scam. Durham County Council will never text you a link inviting you to make a claim.
- Fake test result messages and calls are circulating – a member of staff within the NHS was recently tested after displaying symptoms of Covid-19. Within a short time, they received a text message from an unverified number saying that they had tested positive. The member of staff was then phoned by someone claiming to work for NHS Payroll who asked them to confirm their bank details to receive sickness payment. Always ask yourself why would they need this information? Payroll have your bank details to pay you.
- On social media, a survey scam is offering £25 to say how you have coped during Covid-19. Often claiming to be council approved the survey asks for personal information including your bank details, D.O.B and N.I. number. These details are then used to commit fraud.
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