Scam Alert - Citizens Advice

Recently, individuals have reported receiving calls from fraudsters claiming to represent Citizens Advice.

These callers may allege they have government information and request sensitive details such as bank or National Insurance numbers. Citizens Advice will never cold-call you, ask for payments over the phone, or contact you outside office hours.

Scammers often impersonate legitimate organisations, using real names or brands and creating urgency to pressure you into acting quickly. They may spoof caller IDs to display false names or numbers, and their tactics range from friendly persuasion to threats.

Airdrie Citizens Advice Bureau will only call if you have requested contact.

Anyone who becomes aggressive or demands personal information is a scammer. Citizens Advice advisers will never act on behalf of the government or pressure you for sensitive data.

The charity Age UK has published the following information to help you deal with a cold call that you were not expecting:

• Don’t reveal personal details. Never give out personal or financial information (such as your bank account details or your PIN) over the phone, even if the caller claims to be from your bank.
• Hang up. If you feel harassed or intimidated, or if the caller talks over you without giving you a chance to speak, end the call. It may feel rude to hang up on someone, but you have the right not to be pressurised into anything.
• Ring the organisation. If you’re unsure whether the caller is genuine, you can always ring the company or bank they claim to be from. Make sure you find the number yourself and don’t use the one provided by the caller.  The correct contact details for Airdrie Citizens Advice can be found here.
• Don’t be rushed. Scammers will try to rush you into providing your personal details. They may say they have time-limited offer or claim your bank account is at risk if you don’t give them the information they need right away.

If you get an unexpected phone call from someone claiming to be from Airdrie Citizens Advice Bureau and offering you help with debt problems, it is very likely to be a scam.

Please make sure you:

• don’t give or confirm any personal information;
• end the phone call as soon as possible;
• report the scam, details on how to do this can be found here

If you have debt or money worries, we can help – please visit our Get Advice page to see our advice options or contact us here.