LOCAL police community support officers have issued a warning after they helped an elderly lady who was about to become a victim of fraud.
The Barnsley West Neighbourhood Policing Team were made aware of a elderly lady who had been contacted on Facebook and had agreed to meet an unknown male at a cash machine and give him £200.
The male then asked for an Apple gift card. The elderly lady was about to send him a photo of the gift card with the three-digit code.
A Barnsley West NPT spokesperson said: “Luckily, at this point the PCSOs were able to support the elderly lady. Instead of a picture of the gift card, the scammer received a photo of two of our finest PCSOs, Kat and Neil, with a message saying reported to the police.
“The scammer quickly deleted the chat, and the store kindly refunded the lady her money back for the gift card.
“Please be aware of online scammers. Please keep an eye on family and friends who are withdrawing money to give to unknown persons. Always report anything suspicious.”
