Bermuda residents are being reminded to remain vigilant to avoid becoming victims of scams.

The Bermuda Police Service urged members of the public to be wary of phone calls, e-mails or other correspondences from unknown persons that attempt to obtain personal information.

A spokesman said: “One recent example, is a telephone scam featuring an automated voice recording, apparently from a US prison, which prompts the person to accept the call by pressing a specific number.”

He said that the number had a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area code, and that other numbers with the same area code had also been used.

The spokesman said: “Any residents that receive a similar call that claims to be from an overseas prison should hang up immediately and avoid following any directions given.”

He said that a fake letter scam that asked for help to access a inheritance fund with the promise of a percentage of the monies received had also come to the attention of police.

The spokesman added; “This is clearly a scam and residents are strongly advised to ignore such requests.”

He said that e-mails that appeared to be from local banks which asked the recipient to verify online credentials, such a username and password, “are undoubtedly fake and should be avoided”.

• Incidents of suspected internet fraud should be reported to the Financial Crime Unit on 247-1757 or via e-mail at fraud2@bps.bm. Tips on how to avoid and report scams can also be found at www.gov.bm/how-avoid-and-report-scams