Telecommunications giant BT has issued a warning to Shropshire residents after a county woman was contacted by a scammer who tried to con her into handing over her bank details.

Janette Stewart, 54, from Copthorne, Shrewsbury, received a phone call on Tuesday. She said: “The person on the phone said he was from BT.

He asked me to pay an outstanding amount and wanted to take my bank details.

“I told my husband and he said they shouldn’t need our details as we pay by direct debit. The man on the phone said if we didn’t pay we would get cut off.

“My husband got on the phone to him and the man became flustered and hung up.”

Mrs Stewart said she then rang BT who told her they had not tried to contact her.

“I want to warn people because if someone was elderly or gullible they could give their bank details out if they were scared they could get cut off,” she added.

Emma Tennant, spokeswoman for BT, said that if people were in doubt they should hang up the phone and dial 1471.

She said if BT had been in touch a message on the phone would say the company had just called but if the message said “number withheld” it would not be someone from BT.

She added: “That particular scam seems to do the rounds around the country.

“We would like to assure people that we would never threaten to disconnect someone if they did not pay there and then.”

Liz Toon, fair trading manager from Shropshire Council, said anyone who thought they had been the victim of such a scam should report it to Consumer Direct on 08454 040506 or visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk for advice.

She added: “If you receive such a call, simply tell the caller to send an invoice and proof that the sum is owed, and put the phone down.

“The people behind this scam are likely to be seeking personal information, such as debit or credit card numbers, or identities.”

By Emma Kasprzak