PENARTH residents have been warned about scam collectors after an elderly lady was asked for her bank details by two people claiming to be working for a charity.

The elderly lady answered her door to a pair who said they were from the Red Cross, but luckily alarm bells rang for her when they asked for her bank details.

A spokeswoman from Christian Aid, who are currently carrying out voluntary collections throughout Penarth as part of Christian Aid Week until May 17, warned that residents should beware of scam collectors without proof of identification.

"Every Christian Aid collector will be wearing a badge, and carrying a printed warrant; you should ask to see this if you don’t know the collector. "Alternatively, if you want to give £5, a safe way is to text GIVE60155."

She added: "The thrust of Christian Aid’s work is always to help the poor to help themselves; they don’t have to be Christian, and you don’t have to be a Christian to contribute – just willing to give a little help to somebody who has a much harder struggle in life than we have. You can find out lots more on the website www.christianaid.org.uk."

The usual procedure for voluntary collections is to leave envelopes, so that people can think about what they would like to contribute, then have the envelope ready when the volunteer calls back later in the week to collect it.