A telephone fraud scheme is currently circulating in Malta, the police have revealed through a statement issued this afternoon.

It said that in the last few days, a number of people have received phone calls – both via their mobile as well as on land lines – where an unknown person informs the unsuspecting victim that an unauthorized foreign bank transaction has taken place and are then asked to divulge personal details such as a bank account number.

The police wish to inform the public that these telephone calls are completely fictitious, engineered to steal personal details. While the telephone numbers appear to be from a local line, the calls are coming from foreign countries, making it very difficult to track the calls.

With this in mine, the police wishes to clarify that no banks or financial institutions will ever ask for personal details over the phone, which is why the public should never divulge such details in this way.