Panic Buttons - Phone Scams -Trading Standards

12th July 2024

There have been several recent reports of phone scams where a cold caller says they work for the NHS or a local health team and offers to install a panic button in the resident's property.

They ask for personal and card details, supposedly to cover a £1 'installation fee'.

Cold callers are also trying to sell personal alarms such as medical pendants. They often claim to be a health worker and may have details about the person they are phoning, such as their name and age.
They say that due to either their age or a medical condition the person is eligible to receive a free alarm. They ask for card details to cover the installation fee or ongoing subscription costs.

In other cases, scammers have targeted those who use a telecare community alarm. The caller claims to be from the local council or a company selling personal alarm packages and tells the person that their current alarm needs to be replaced or upgraded. The person is encouraged to act quickly to ensure the alarm stays active and to provide their personal and payment details over the phone.
How to Avoid

NHS Scotland state that they will never call to ask for patients' bank account details, credit or debit card information, or for payment to cover services. Anyone who says they are from the NHS and asks for bank details or money transfers over the phone is lying.

Local authorities will NEVER ask for bank details in an unsolicited phone call.

Never provide any personal or financial details to a cold caller, even if they already appear to have some of your information.

If in doubt about the legitimacy of a call about personal alarms or telecare services, hang up, clear the line and call the alarm provider using a publicly listed number.

Contact your bank immediately if you think you may have given your account details to a scammer.

If you are worried about an older relative, you can sign them up to the Telephone Preference Service for free by calling 034 070 0707 or online at www.tpsonline.org.uk

Many home phone providers offer services (some of which are free) to block unwanted calls.

There is also a range of standalone devices that can be used to block/ monitor calls such as trueCall Secure call blockers.

Find Out More
General advice on avoiding phone scams (PDF): www.tsscot.co.uk/Phone-Scam-Information.pdf
Age Scotland advice on avoiding scams: www.ageuk.org.uk/scotland/information-advice/money-matters/scams