Police are warning the public to remain vigilant of phone scams after a recent con left a victim out of pocket.

A Stevenage resident was tricked by someone who claimed to be from Herts Police and demanding they pay a fine for a traffic offence over the phone on Thursday, September 7.

Police would never call to ask for a cash payment, and are advising anyone who receives of a call of this nature to hang up and promptly call 101.

Anyone who has previously received a similar call is asked to contact the police on the non-emergency number on 101.

Neither police nor banks would ever ask for bank account details or PIN codes over the phone, request money to be transferred over the telephone or ask for a cash withdrawal, bank card or anything else to be sent to them via courier or taxi.

Citizens are also advised to wait at least five minutes before attempting to report a suspicious phone call, as otherwise the call may get re-connected to the offender.

Phones that automatically block withheld numbers are available and service providers may also be able to block unwanted calls on request.

For more information visit www.herts.police.uk/PhoneScams or watch a demonstration on Youtube here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvWjvsmG1t0.