VULNERABLE Bromsgrove residents have been scammed out of 'large deposits' by convincing con artists over the past few weeks.

Bromsgrove District Council says it has received numerous reports of scams and frauds recently.

The swindles regularly feature unsolicited emails, telephone calls and door-to-door fraudsters falsely claiming to be home energy advisors, insulation installers, bank officials, council officials or government-backed advice services.

A council spokesperson warned: "The most recent of these scams which several, more vulnerable residents have fallen prey to, involve both targeted phone calls and door-to-door callers.

"The residents were called by a company, claiming to be associated with the council, offering home energy advice and telling residents that their insulation is wrong, illegal or old and sending an ‘officer’ out to assess this.

"The visiting scammer then quotes a price for replacing the insulation and other services such as ‘roof washing’ and takes a large deposit to ‘secure’ the date, never returning but stealing the deposit.

"In other instances these scammers have made contact in order to gain access to properties and gather banking information.

"While the council does offer energy advice and funding through a partnership with YES Energy Solutions, they will never cold call, phone or approach residents out of the blue to sell goods or services.

"Any visits by any of our departments will be pre-booked with residents, the officer will have proof of ID and will be happy for you to double check they are who they say by calling us on 01527 881288.

"Do not call to confirm using any numbers given to you by the scammer as they are unlikely to be genuine."

Residents worried about fraud can sign up to the council’s Nominated Neighbours scheme which directs cold callers to a nominated, trusted neighbour who will check the identity of the caller.

The council spokesperson added: "Likewise, any calls or emails claiming to be from the local council and offering a tax rebate, in which they ask for personal banking details, will be fraudulent.

"Often these criminals do not know if the email addresses being used are real or relevant to the area so by not responding and deleting it straight away you reduce your risk of being targeted in the future."

To report a potential scam, visit www.actionfraud.police.uk or call the council’s Community Safety Team on 01527 881472 or email saferbromsgrove@bromsgrove.gov.uk

Cllr Philip Thomas, whose portfolio covers community safety, said: “These criminals are the lowest of the low for targeting the most vulnerable and trusting members of our society.

"Please remember that the council will never contact you in this way and our officers will always be happy to let you verify their identity with us.

“If you’re worried about a neighbour, friend or family member, I would encourage you to sign them up to the Nominated Neighbour scheme and make them wary of any suspicious or unexpected emails, phone calls or visitors.”