HUDDERSFIELD residents have been targeted in a pension bonus telephone scam.

The fraudsters telephone people and claim to be from the Pension Helpline.

They claim that the victim is due a £1,000 pension bonus if they are 60 or under before trying to get bank details over the phone.

An Armitage Bridge woman who received one of the calls said the call starts with a recorded message requesting the person press a key on their phone to be connected to a call handler.

When she queried the call, the man at the other end put the phone down.

The woman said the man spoke with a Tyneside accent and may have been implying he was from the Department of Work and Pensions, which has offices in Newcastle.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Trading Standards urged people to be wary of cold callers and never to give out personal details such as name, address or bank account numbers.

“You should always ask callers to confirm what they are saying on the phone in writing, but don’t give your personal details” he said.

The spokesman urged anyone receiving such calls to contact West Yorkshire Trading Standards’ consumer advice line 08454 04 05 06