A Runcorn man has received two phone calls from two different mobile numbers, both claiming to be from the Citizens Advice Bureau. The callers have both said that they’re contacting the man over an outstanding debt that he has.

The resident knew that the calls were scams because he doesn’t have any debts. When he challenged the last caller the scammer swore at him.

Halton Borough Council’s Trading Standards Officers are advising people to never give personal details or bank information to cold-callers, even if they appear to be from an organisation that you’re already involved with.

If you want to find out if the call is genuine use the published number for the service provider to phone them, but wait for 10 minutes before making the call in case the scammer has stayed on the line.

Halton Borough Council’s Executive Board Member for Trading Standards, Cllr Dave Cargill, said: “If you or somebody you know has been caught out by a scam please contact one of our specialist officers, Linda or Sue on 0151 511 8785 or 0151 511 8775, who are already working with people in Halton who have lost thousands of pounds to scams.”

If you need advice on anything else please contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline or 03454 04 05 06