Residents are asked to be vigilant after scam attempts targeting individuals with community alarm/telecare equipment were reported to health and social care chiefs.

Officials at the North Ayrshire health and social care partnership (HSCP) say that a number of service users and their families contacted them to report receiving fraudulent from someone claiming to work for either the HSCP or a private company, and asking for bank details in relation to their existing community alarm/telecare package.

NAHSCP would like to advise residents that they will never ask for bank details over the phone, and any correspondence about payments will always be by letter.

Should you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from NAHSCP, North Ayrshire Council or another company and asking for bank details in relation to your telecare services, please hang up the phone and let the HSCP know by calling them on 01294 310222.

Alternatively you can press your alarm button and report it to the monitoring centre instead, or call the police on 101.

Councillor Margaret Johnson, cabinet member for health and social care at North Ayrshire Council, said: “We are contacting our service users directly by post to alert them to these scam attempts.

"However, we also want to reach out to those who have friends or family members with community alarm and telecare equipment to make them aware of the potential for fraud.

“We are extremely disheartened to hear about these cruel scam attempts directly targeting our service users, many of whom are elderly and in some cases may be vulnerable.”