In a recent international telephone scam, a Croydon woman handed over £400 after she received a call from a man who introduced himself as Alan Cooper of the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.

He had an Indian accent, which he attempted to disguise.

He claimed that he had prevented someone fraudulently withdrawing money from her account. Initially demanding a fee of £1,500, he continued to ring her all afternoon, until she agreed to pay him £400.

He instructed her to go to the local branch of Western Union to transfer the £400, which was cashed within minutes. Realising she had been scammed, she contacted the police, but continued to receive calls from the scammers who claimed that they had apprehended two people.

Croydon’s trading standards team urges residents to never reveal personal or banking details to random telephone callers.

The names and addresses of nearly 300,000 people nationally are believed to be on lists that are sold between criminals to use as targets for scams. Research has found that nine in 10 people on such lists are unaware that they are being targeted.

Citizens Advice data shows that, when compared to the general population, disabled people and those who have a long-term health condition were more likely to be victims of phishing and other banking scams (37% compared to 29%), and prizes and lottery scams (41% against 29%). Though these factors do not necessarily make them socially isolated, they may contribute to it.