PSNI DETECTIVES HAVE made two arrests and searched two homes in south Belfast as part of an ongoing probe into recent scams targetting vulnerable people and older members of the community.

A woman (52) and a man (31) have been arrested on suspicion of a number of offences and remain in police custody at this time.

The PSNI’s Economic Crime Unit said there have been numerous attempts to defraud members of the community so far this year.

It can take the form of fraudsters phoning victims and portraying themselves either to be police officers or employees of utility companies.

Detective chief inspector Ian Wilson said these scammers will be relentlessly pursued by police.

“Police will never make contact and ask members of the public to provide PIN Codes, divulge passwords, or hand over bank cards in relation to their finances.

“Even during the current Covid-19 pandemic, it is clear that scammers will stop at nothing to target people which can often result in a life changing impact to their victims.

“With more people spending time at home, it is important to be vigilant of potential fraudulent activity aimed at gaining access to your bank details. 

Never ever give out any personal or financial information to an unverified source via email, text or over the phone. Only ever give that type of sensitive information to a verified source. If you receive any similar types of correspondence, please do not interact or reply to the scammers, but forward it through to Action Fraud or contact police.