THE PSNI are urging members of the public to "be aware" as a number of scams are doing the rounds at the moment that could prove very costly for victims.

Last week, in a post to its Police Fermanagh and Omagh Facebook page, the PSNI advised people to be on their guard following a reported fraud of close to £15,000, with fraudsters posing as callers from the victims’ bank.

A PSNI spokesman said: "The number from which [scammers] are calling may look authentic, and the fraudsters will claim that they are actually contacting you about suspicious activity on the account, before trying to obtain bank card details and extracting money from it.

"Our message is simple – never disclose your personal or banking details to anyone over the phone or online, no matter how convincing they may seem, and never allow an unauthorised person to have access to such details.

"It is vital that people remember this, to prevent any further cases happening."

Police are also urging members of the public to be aware of a phishing text message scam circulating telling people that they are "eligible" for the Covid-19 vaccination.

The scam message reads "We have identified that you are eligible to apply for your vaccine" and links to a convincing – but fake – NHS page, that then asks for bank details.

A number of variants on this theme are similarly attempting unsuspecting members of the public to provide scammers with their bank details, or other sensitive information.

Chief Superintendent Simon Walls said: “We know that fraudsters will stop at nothing to dupe people out of their money, and they aim to exploit the pandemic for financial gain.

“I am urging people to remain vigilant. Fraudsters don’t care who their victim is; they know the desire people have to get the vaccine, and they see this as a chance to get their hands on their money.

“Be sceptical, and be on your guard, If you receive a text or email that asks you to click on a link, or for you to provide information such as your name, credit card or bank details, it's likely to be a scam.

“Don’t hit the link – if you are dealing with someone about a Covid-19 vaccination and they ask you for money, this is a huge red flag. Hang up, and stop dealing with them.

“It’s also important that if you have older members of family, talk with them and tell them legitimate providers of this vaccine will never seek their banking information. This is a really important conversation to have.”

However, vaccine-targeted scams are just one of the ways that criminals are attempting to trick people at present.

Other scams that The Impartial Reporter is aware of include HMRC-mimicking text messages, for example reading: "GOVUK: Due to the new lockdown conditions you are granted for a COVID-19 calim [sic] of £277.59. To obtain, please follow via: [link]", and "HSBC: ALERT! You have authorised a payment of £240 to Mr. C. Jones. If this was not you please visit: [link]".

This paper is also aware of nuisance HMRC scam calls, typically involving a 'robocaller', attempting to trick or threaten people into handing over their bank information to scammers.

Anyone who is concerned that they have been a victim of a scam should report the matter to Action Fraud via www.actionfraud.police.uk, or by phoning 0300 123 2040.

The police can be contacted on the non-emergency number, 101, or you can submit a report online using their non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/.