KEIGHLEY people are being warned to be on their guard against a National Insurance number scam.

West Yorkshire Police say there has been a sharp rise in reports of such incidents to Action Fraud.

A spokesman said: “Victims receive an automated telephone call telling them their National Insurance number has been ‘compromised’ and that in order to fix this and get a new number they need to ‘press 1 on their handset to be connected to the caller’.

“Once connected, victims are pressurised into giving their personal details to receive a new number. In reality, they’ve been connected to a criminal who can use their personal details to commit fraud. If you get a similar call and are unsure, don’t be afraid to hang-up and get advice.”

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim should contact their bank and actionfraud.police.uk.