A CON man posing as a solicitor has tried to dupe Halton residents in a bank refund scam.

Halton Council is warning people to be on their guard after several people have been targetted.

The scammer has phoned residents claiming to be from a solicitors’ office, representing their bank.

He tells them that they are owed a £3,400 in an overpayment and says that a solicitor will call to deliver the cheque in person that afternoon.

The scammer tells the consumer that the solicitor will need to be paid in £340 of UKash vouchers before he can hand over the cheque.

The caller provides information about where UKash vouchers can be bought near to the consumer’s home.

The scammer advises the consumer to make sure they tell the shop assistant they want the vouchers for personal use, otherwise they will be charged an extra £50 admin fee to purchase 2 x £170 vouchers.

The scammer will then ask how long it will take the consumer to collect the vouchers, advising the solicitor will be around in the next couple of hours.

Later that day the scammer phones the consumer requesting confirmation of the UKash Voucher numbers they have bought, advising they cannot send the solicitor around until they have verified the consumer has bought the vouchers.

A Halton Council spokesman said: “UKash vouchers can be redeemed for cash from one of the 420,000 outlets worldwide.

“Only the voucher code and not the actual voucher is required.

“Consumers may be tempted into giving the voucher numbers to the scammers in the belief they are still in possession of the actual vouchers but when they give the voucher numbers they lose that money.

“Only spend Ukash vouchers online and at genuine merchants listed at on their site.

“Never email vouchers or give voucher codes, even in part, as you are likely to lose your money.

“The simple message is to treat Ukash with the same security as you would physical cash.”

If you think you are a victim of Ukash voucher fraud, contact Ukash immediately on 0808 234 6244, if the voucher code has not been re-used Ukash may be able to put a block on it.

You can report scams to Action Fraud or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.