Hampshire residents are being warned to watch out for fake bailiffs after a slew of scams nationally.

A government spokesman said: “We have become aware of scammers phoning members of the public, posing as County Court bailiffs, High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEOs) and Certificated Enforcement Agents (CEAs).

“During the calls, the fraudsters claim that the person owes money, and demands that they transfer funds into a bank account.”

The government said that whilst officials may contact people by phone to discuss a warrant of control and will offer to take debit or credit card payments over the phone they would never

telephone to ask for bank details or telephone people to make a bank transfer using their sort code and account number.

“If anyone claiming to be a county court bailiff, an HCEO or CEA calls asking for this information, you should not make any payment and not provide your bank details,” said the spokesman.

“You should end the call and contact your local county court, if the caller says they are an HMCTS bailiff.

Contact details for county courts are on GOV.UK. Contact the High Court Enforcement Officers Association or the Civil Enforcement Officers Association (CIVEA) for more information.”