TRADING Standards officers in Hartlepool have urged people to be vigilant if they receive unsolicited telephone calls requesting personal details.

The warning comes after a complaint from a Hartlepool woman who had received a call from a man claiming to be employed by soap manufacturers Proctor and Gamble.

The caller said he was carrying out a survey for the company, but the woman became suspicious when he made it clear he knew her name, address and date of birth, and then requested other personal details.

Neil Harrison, Hartlepool Borough Council's trading standards officer, said: "Proctor and Gamble have confirmed to us that the telephone call did not come from them.

"It's not clear what the motive for this unsolicited call was, but it was clearly very worrying for the lady concerned. Fortunately, she became suspicious and wisely refused to give the caller any information.

"If anyone receives a similar call, we would urge them not to give any personal information, especially bank details, as clearly there is a risk that the information could be used in fraudulent activity."

The Hartlepool Trading Standards team can be contacted on (01429) 523362.