A WARNING has been issued to people living in the Vale of Glamorgan to stay aware about scams.

July marks Scams Awareness Month which is the national campaign spreading the ‘Play your part - Act on Scams’ message to stop people falling victim.

Following a two year investigation by the City of London Police and the team at Microsoft, four people were arrested in the UK last month.

Action Fraud, the national fraud and cyber-reporting centre, reported that nearly 35,000 computer software service fraud reports were made last year.

The scam involves people calling and claiming to be from BT and TalkTalk, before telling victims they have discovered a virus on their computer.

They ask if they can remotely access your machine to fix the problem, and often install images that appear to show the computer is infected, when they may even install a virus themselves.

Scammers then offer a free way to resolve the problem, which then leads to a request for card or bank account details.

The safeguarding team at Shared Regulatory Services, have been giving presentations on scams and doorstep crime.

The next talk will be held at the Alzheimer’s Society in Cardiff on Tuesday, July 11

Shared Regulatory Services covering the Vale, Cardiff and Bridgend has a small number of call blocking devices available for people who are receiving persistent, fraudulent phone calls.

These devices help protect vulnerable and elderly residents by placing blocks on calls from unsolicited numbers.

All phone scam complaints should be made to Citizens Advice Consumer Service by calling 03454 040506, which will then lead to an assessment by Trading Standards.

Bridgend councillor Dhanisha Patel, chair of the joint committee for Shared Regulatory Services, said: "According to Action Fraud, the average age of a person who loses money to this scam is 62 while the financial loss is around £600. "Our Safeguarding Team works hard to engage with residents and key partners to tackle the issue of phone fraud, as well as mail scams and doorstep crime.

"Our message is simple: never make a payment over the phone during an unsolicited phone call, and keep telling us about the types of scams you encounter, as this will allow us to warn others, especially the most vulnerable groups in our communities."