FOUR residents have been conned out of £100,000 by telephone scammers.

Police have issued a warning after two victims from East Lancashire were among the quartet who fell victim to the scam in which the callers were conned by people claiming to be working for BT internet security or other service providers.

Officers said there have been four reports this week from residents in Blackburn, Nelson, Preston and Blackpool. In total, the victims have been conned out of over £100,000, with each individually conned out of more than £10,000.

Det Con Danielle Lilley said: “These types of scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated and can appear realistic but we’re urging people to be extra vigilant and suspicious of cold calls. Always question the caller’s intentions and never give out any personal information or grant access to your files or devices.”

DC Lilley said in the four incidents, the victims were called on their landlines by someone alleging to be from a respected supplier.

The caller states that their router has been compromised or their internet/email account hacked. In order to ‘fix the problem’, they ask that the victim turns their computer on and then directs them to a web address to download a piece of software.

The software allows the caller to access the victim’s device – where they will show them ‘evidence’ that they are being hacked, before requesting that they log in to or register for internet banking.

The caller then clears the victim’s bank account, claiming to be protecting the money from hackers. In some cases they have also applied for loans and credit cards in the victim’s name.

A BT spokesman said: “We’re aware that some customers are being contacted by individuals fraudulently claiming to be from BT or acting on behalf of BT. This type of fraud is an industry-wide problem that we’re actively working to tackle.

“We take the security of our customer’s accounts very seriously and we are proactively warning our customers to be on their guard against scams. Fraudsters use various methods to ‘glean’ your personal or financial details with the ultimate aim of stealing from you.

“Our advice is that customers should never share their BT account number with anyone and should always shred bills. Be wary of calls or emails you’re not expecting. Even if someone quotes your BT account number, you shouldn’t trust them with your personal information.”

If you think you have been a victim of fraud contact police on 101 or Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.