In 2015 alone, Dorset residents have lost more than £350,000 to phone fraudsters, and more than £1 million since March 2014.
In March, police received 167 reports of telephone fraud, with 16 victims losing a combined total of £250,000.
The police are reiterating advice to Dorset residents;
• The police, bank or retailer will NEVER call you asking for your bank details
• NEVER give out your bank details or Personal Identification Number (PIN) over the phone
• NEVER send money or cash cards via taxi or courier
• If you receive a suspicious call, hang up, wait five minutes (or use a different phone), dial 1471, take down the phone number and then call the police immediately on 101
This comes after a resident in the Marshwood area of west Dorset is the latest person to be targeted by phone fraudsters and police are now reiterating safety advice to residents across the county.
The latest phone scam came as a resident in the Marshwood area was watching TV when there was some interference with a loss of picture and sound.
Shortly after, they received a phone call from a man who asked if they had been experiencing interference on the TV, and started to ask some other non related questions.
Police are now warning residents not to give out any personal information, including bank or other financial details, over the phone.
A force spokesman said: “Please share this information around; telephone scams are unfortunately becoming more common and come in a variety of forms.
“As we regularly say to local residents, if you receive a telephone call that is unwanted, or if you are asked for any personal details, simply hang up.”
Since June this year, Dorset Police have been working with telecoms operators in a bid to tackle fraudsters.
They are reducing the amount of time a line stays open after the recipient has tried to disconnect the call.
For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk