NEIGHBOURHOOD Watch volunteers are being recruited to help combat the growing danger of phone scams.

Each volunteer is being asked to persuade their neighbours to pass on advice to three friends to prevent them falling victim to phone fraudsters.

It is hoped the campaign will eventually reach two million people across the country.

The campaign was launched in the North-East today (MON) with an event at police headquarters in Aykley Heads, Durham attended by Chief Constable Mike Barton and cybercrime experts.

Police say that callers deceiving victims into transferring money directly to fraudsters is now the most common phone scam and new research shows that £23.6m was lost in this way over the course of the year.

The campaign is the first time that Neighbourhood Watch has targeted phone scams, and it reflects the changing tactics of criminals who now prefer to minimise the risk of arrest by never coming into direct contact with their victim.

Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Lyn Peart, from Durham’s Fraud and Cyber Crime Unit, said: “Phone scams are widely used by criminals to con people out of their hard earned cash and savings.

“Always be wary of unsolicited calls, even if the caller claims to be from a trusted organisation like your bank or the police.

“Unfortunately, thousands of people have fallen victim to phone scams so before you even consider revealing personal information over the phone or making a financial investment with a cold caller, always consider if you really know who the person is.

“If the answer is no, don’t be a victim, just hang up the phone.”

In particular, they warned that the bank or police will never ask you for your card pin or online banking passwords.