A woman was forced to buy gift cards after falling for a scam call from fraudsters pretending to be the police.
Merseyside Police has issued a warning after a woman received a phone call from 'police' to say her National Insurance number was compromised.
The fraudsters, who were claiming to be officers from Merseyside Police, told the victim she needed to purchase gift cards and send photos of them so they could be reimbursed.
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The victim grew suspicious and reported the incident to Merseyside Police, who informed her it was a scam call.
She has since been fully reimbursed by her bank.
Police issued a warning to people in Merseyside and reminded them the force will never contact members of the public and ask for payment in this way.
A force spokesperson said: "We are urging the public to be vigilant after a scam was reported involving offenders calling a woman claiming to be police and requesting she purchase gift cards.
"Merseyside Police will never contact members of the public and ask for payment in this way, and police enquiries into the incident are ongoing."
Anyone who has received a similar call is advised to report it to police on Twitter by direct messaging @MerPolCC quoting incident 441 of 24 January, or call @CrimestoppersUK anonymously on 0800 555 111 or @actionfrauduk on 0300 123 2040.
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