Residents in the Brixham area of Devon has been heavily affected by the outbreak of cryptosporidium, a sickness parasite which has some nasty symptoms including vomiting.
Scammers are reportedly targeting homeowners who have been affected by the waterborne cryptosporidium parasite which left hundreds in part of the UK ill.
Around 16,000 houses in Devon have been affected by the outbreak of the virus. And now, South West Water (SWW) is warning people to be aware of conmen trying to defraud customers by making fake calls claiming to be them before mentioning compensation and asking for direct debit details.
Residents in the Brixham area of Devon has been heavily affected by the outbreak of cryptosporidium, a sickness parasite which has some nasty symptoms including vomiting. South West Water then said it would provide £115 in compensation to all affected. Since the outbreak and talks of compensation, the water company received several reports of people making scam calls to customers and trying to get money out of them, DevonLive reports.
Taking to social media to address the scam, a SWW spokesman said: “For all household customers who have been issued with the Boil Water Notice you will receive your compensation by way of an automatic payment. South West Water continued: “We have been made aware of scam calls to customers, claiming to be from South West Water, in relation to your direct debit details and a compensation claim. It is important to reiterate that we do not need to contact you and you do not need to do anything.
“For all household customers who have been issued with the Boil Water Notice you will receive your compensation by way of an automatic payment. For business customers, this payment will be made via your Retailer. Where we hold direct debit details this will be made as an immediate payment, where we do not this will be added as a credit to the next available bill. If you receive a suspicious call: Stop. Do not give out any bank details. Report the scam call to Action Fraud, and make your family and friends aware too. Check our website if in doubt or please contact us at – 0344 346 1010.”
On Saturday afternoon, SWW confirmed thousands of people could safely drink their tap water again after days of being told to boil it. About 16,000 households and businesses in the Brixham area of Devon, supplied by South West Water (SWW), had been told not to use their tap water for drinking without boiling and cooling it first.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Friday that 46 cases of cryptosporidium were anticipated. SWW said around 14,500 households in the Alston supply area can now use their tap water safely, although some 2,500 properties in Hillhead, upper parts of Brixham and Kingswear should continue to boil their supply before drinking it.
The water company said the decision on Saturday afternoon came after “rigorous testing” and was made in consultation with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the local authority’s environmental health department.