POLICE officers are urging Knutsford residents to be on their guard after a spate of telephone fraudsters were reported to be operating in the area.

Cheshire Police have told the Guardian about a scam which is taking place with fraudsters claiming to be from Action Fraud.

The conmen frequently impersonate officials in an attempt to convince people that their offer is genuine.

Fraudsters impersonate an Action Fraud representative to trick people into sending money.

The caller states that they are from Action Fraud and that the person they are calling is entitled to compensation from a recent incident.

The scammer then asks for money to be sent via a Ukash voucher in order to process the compensation claim.

The amount asked for is usually in the range of £200 to £400.

Action Fraud is warning people not to pay these bogus telephone callers.

There is no way to retrieve Ukash payments as they are in effect cash transactions.

A police spokeswoman said it was a scam, and those who take part would lose their money.

“Action Fraud is in no way affiliated with these fraudsters,” she said.

“They would never under any circumstances be involved in processing claims for compensation.”

Det Sgt Pete Kidd, from the Crime Operations Team, said: “The genuine Action Fraud is the UK’s national fraud reporting centre where consumers can report if they have been scammed or defrauded.

“Victims of fraud who report an incident via our online reporting centre or call Action Fraud will receive a crime reference number, which is the victim’s unique reference only they will know.

“Any representative of Action Fraud would quote this number, but in most cases, reported frauds or scams would be passed onto Cheshire Police Fraud Team to then make contact.”

You can report fraud online via actionfraud.police.uk or call them on 0300 123 2040.

For more information on fraud please visit cheshire.police.uk.