A Bradford pensioner is warning people to be vigilant after she was targeted in the latest mobile phone scam to sweep the country.

The woman, who does not want to named, received an unexpected delivery of two mobile phones to her Odsal home last week – despite the fact she had not ordered any.

She was later visited by a courier saying the parcels had been delivered to the wrong address and urged her to hand them over.

But, suspecting a scam, she had already contacted the mobile phone company, who told her they would never send someone to collect the phones and would mail out packaging for them to be returned by post. Police warn there have been a number of similar reports across the country, where mobile phone contracts have been fraudulently taken out in a victim’s name, delivered to their address and then picked up by conmen.

Some victims have later discovered they are being charged for contracts on expensive smartphones they had not taken out, although in some cases the phones have been paid for using stolen credit or debit cards.

The woman said: “Me and my husband are both pensioners and we worry that some people will just hand over the phones thinking a genuine mistake has been made.

“We received two phones we hadn’t ordered, but we weren’t in at the time so a neighbour collected the parcel. They were addressed to me and my husband, although I don’t know where they got our details from. A man visited to say they had been delivered to the wrong address, but I told him I had already returned them to the shop.

“We took the phones back to the store they’d come from in person and I was told this has happened before.

“We want to warn people so they don’t become the victims of a scam.”

People are being advised to keep their personal information secure by shredding any documents containing addresses, banking details or anything else of a sensitive nature. They should never give personal or financial details to cold callers over the phone and never write down or give out any banking passwords or PIN numbers.

Anyone who receives a mobile phone they have not been ordered should contact the mobile phone supplier they have been delivered from.

They are also advised to call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 to report it.