A LISKEARD resident who contacted the police and the dedicated fraud line after receiving a 'scam call' purporting to be from the Claims Advisory Group for the Ministry of Justice, is warning people to be on their guard.

The caller, who had a foreign accent, told the resident his group had successfully claimed money back from her bank after it had been overcharging her PPI (Payment Protection Insurance) for the past 12 years.

They said they would be sending someone by the name of Mr Alex Robinson to her home within two hours to collect Ukash vouchers which she would have to purchase beforehand to the value of £280 – a sum representing 10 per cent of the PPI sum the caller claimed to have got back on her behalf.

On production of the Ukash voucher, they would then hand her a cheque for the amount allegedly reclaimed from the bank.

'The fraud line said this is a scam that has been moving around the country,' said the resident.

Wary

'I was wary enough to report it but am concerned that more vulnerable people, especially the elderly, could fall prey to it.

'They basically wanted £280 from me with no guarantee that the cheque would go through.'

Ukash is a UK-based electronic money system that is authorised and regulated by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority. It has its own customer charter and advises customers to check its 'Stay Safe Advice', which warns against using vouchers for payments in advance.