RESIDENTS throughout Gloucestershire have reported receiving suspect telephone calls from callers who have claimed to be working for the county council.

Gloucestershire County Council's call centre has received five reports from concerned members of the public about unsolicited calls from cold callers.

The complainants have reported that the caller has a foreign sounding accent and asks questions about a recent "accident claim" you or a relative may have made in the last year. There have also been calls asking for NHS records.

Callers so far have all hung up without sharing information, and some have been sworn at when challenging the caller.

The county council would never cold call members of the public.

Any calls made by council staff are follow ups on enquiries from service users who have contacted us directly.

Julie Houston, group manager for trading standards, said; "When you hang up the phone the line can remain open if the caller does not also hang up.

"You should wait at least five minutes before reporting a suspicious phone call to ensure you're not reconnected to the scam caller.

"Alternatively, use a mobile phone or a neighbour's phone or test your landline by phoning a friend or relative first, to ensure you aren't still unwittingly connected to the fraudster."

Cllr Will Windsor-Clive, cabinet member for fire, planning and infrastructure, said; "If you receive a phone call like the ones reported, please just hang up.

"Gloucestershire County Council will never contact you about this sort of thing, so you know it's a bogus call.

"We're not sure about what fraudsters would do with any personal information they could get, so please don't risk it. Our advice is not to disclose any personal information, hang up the phone and report it to us."

If you have any concerns about bogus calls, please contact Gloucestershire County Council on 01452 425000 to report it.