People in Northumberland told what to watch out for following rise in sophisticated scams

The cons are becoming more difficult to spot, which is why the county council has issued a warning to the public and released details of the more common tricks being used to fleece people out of their hard-earned cash.

Northumberland county councillor Colin Horncastle, cabinet member for public protection, said “Amid the cost-of-living crisis, criminals are exploiting people's hardships, the elderly and the vulnerable to get their hands on their money.

“Always take a moment to consider if the request you have received is genuine and if the offer seems too good to be true, it usually is.”

On Facebook Market Place, thieves are offering vehicles at low prices. They then go on to pressure motorists to send a deposit to ‘hold the car’, sometimes up to £1,500, but then the ad and the seller disappear.

Criminals are sending text messages to people claiming to be from Royal Mail and asking for additional payment for a delivery for an item. These should be ignored and deleted.

Some people have also received an email offering £45 off their next grocery shop. The mail contains a link to the voucher, but clicking on it will actually enable the scammers to steal a person’s log-in credentials, exposing them to financial fraud.

And fraudsters have been exploiting vulnerable people by calling them and asking for their bank details to process a council tax rebate, but this too is a con.

Finally, many O2 customers are receiving phone calls from scammers offering a massive discount on their phone bills.

While on the call, the scammer visits the O2 sign in page, types in a person’s phone number and asks for a one-time code to access the account.

Even before they finish their pitch, the victim receives a text message which is a legitimate O2 communication — a one-time code that customers can use to access their accounts if they forget their password, for example. If they hand over the code, the crooks can then access their personal details.

The main advice is, banks and other official companies will never ask a person to supply personal information via email, so call and check if you are unsure.