Warrington Borough Council is warning residents to vigilant following reports of a cold calling scam.
Action Fraud has been receiving reports of a fraud whereby scammers call a member of the public claiming to be calling on behalf of the UK government grant department.
The cold calling fraudsters claim that the target has won a “Good Citizen Award”, of typically £8,000, and that the grant can be released for a fee of around £210.
Councillor Judith Guthrie, executive board member for environment and public protection, said; “There is no genuine “Good Citizen Award” scheme in the UK that operates by cold calling “winners” and asking for an upfront fee to release a grant.
“Fortunately, very few members of the public have lost any money as a result of this scam but have reported it to Action Fraud in order to help build a picture of this scam and protect others from falling victim to it.
“We will continue to work with our partners to continue this fight against fraud.”