Dear Residents of Hythe

Residents have been targeted by bank impersonation scam calls this week in Ashford, Maidstone, Cranbrook, Sevenoaks and Sittingbourne.

Scammers are calling residents pretending to be from a bank fraud department or "fraud squad", claiming there is a problem with their account. They may ask victims to transfer money to a "safe" account, hand over their bank card to a courier, or withdraw cash and send it through the post.

These are scams. Your bank will never ask you to transfer money to a safe account, hand over your card, or send cash by post.

If you receive a suspicious call, hang up and ensure the line is disconnected before contacting your bank directly using 159. Never use phone numbers provided by the caller.

Report and receive advice from the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.

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