PEOPLE in Ipswich are urged to be aware of scams as a result of an incident involving the website Gumtree.

Earlier this month, police officers received a call from a victim who lives in Ipswich, who stated that she had seen an advert on Gumtree for fishing equipment priced at �200.

She made contact with the seller, who arranged for delivery through Parcel Force, once she had e-mailed a Ukash voucher code.

She sent the code via e-mail to the seller, which was redeemed, but the fishing equipment was not delivered.

The victim received an e-mail, allegedly from Parcel Force, stating that the item would be delivered on a specific date – but it was not.

Gumtree states on its own website that buyers should be wary of buying items without seeing them and police are backing this and urging people to be cautious at all times when dealing with unknown sellers and callers.

Although Ukash is a perfectly legitimate and useful way to transfer funds between known and trusted parties, it should not be used for purchases from unknown sellers or to transfer money to callers where their identity can’t be established.

People are asked to be vigilant and think before responding to any online, telephone or other contacts from unknown parties.

People are advised never to send money or give out personal information under these circumstances.

For advice on how to use Ukash vouchers safely, visit www.ukash.com/uk/en/alerts/security-tips.aspx