A SENIOR police officer has described scammers who sought to con money out of Troubles' victims as "despicable".
Chief Superintendent Simon Walls was speaking after it emerged that fraudsters had used Facebook to ask victims for their bank account details.
The Wave Trauma Centre warned people to be wary of the scam, stressing: "No one will ever ring asking for your bank details."
The attempt by internet fraudsters to target victims and survivors come as Sinn Féin designated a Stormont department to oversee the Troubles' pension scheme.
The move, which follows a High Court ruling last week, paves the way for the scheme to go live in the coming months.
Mr Walls said the approaches through social media showed "there is no let-up from scammers who will do whatever they can to con people out of their hard earned money".
“These despicable fraudsters operate all year round, which is why I can’t stress enough just how important it is to be vigilant at all times – stay on your guard, every day, and do not let yourself be scammed," he said.
"I would also urge people to have a conversation with loved ones about scams, especially if you know someone who is vulnerable."
He urged people to guard their personal and banking details and never disclose them to any unauthorised person.
Alliance Lisburn councillor Sorcha Eastwood said targetting vulnerable people was "utterly disgusting".
"I urge whoever is behind this heinous act to stop it immediately and ask anyone with information on it to contact police," she said.
