Warning over “Good Citizen Award” scam

WARRINGTON residents are being urged to be on their guard following reports of a cold calling scam.
Members of the public are being contacted by someone claiming to be calling on behalf of the UK government grant department and informing them that they have won a “Good Citizen award” of, typically, £8,000.
The caller says the award money will be released for a fee of around £210.
Warrington Borough Council’s lead member for public protection, Cllr Judith Guthrie (pictured), said: “There is no genuine ‘Good Citizen Award’ that operates by cold calling ‘winners’ and asking for an upfront fee to release a grant.
“Fortunately, very few members of the public have lost any money as a result of this scam but have reported it to Action Fraud in order to help build a picture of this scam and protect others from falling victim to it.
“We will continue to work with our partners to continue this fight against fraud.”
Anyone who receives a call that claims to represent such a scheme, should end the phone call, refuse to give out any personal or financial data – and pass the warning on to family and friends.