The public has been warned against a fresh symptom of the coronavirus pandemic - scams.

Trading Standards and police have urged people to remain vigilant amid a rise in phone and internet hoaxes as well as fake callers.

And banks have warned of a surge in text messages designed to access personal information or demand money.

Gloucestershire police said three people claiming to be officers investigating coronavirus-related issues visited a house in Charlton Kings.

The two men and a woman left when asked for identification by the resident who was in his 70s.

Chief Constable Rod Hansen said: "I have always said that policing starts and ends in a neighbourhood.

"Our neighbourhood policing teams will continue to be at the heart of what we do. Looking after older and more vulnerable members of our communities is an important part of this.

"If you are a victim of crime, please continue to report it online at gloucestershire.police.uk, using 101 or, in an emergency, 999."

Warning of a range of opportunistic scams, National Trading Standards chairman Lord Toby Harris also called for community support

Lord Harris said: "At a time when neighbourhoods and communities are coming together to support each other, it is despicable that criminals are exploiting members of the public - including some of our most vulnerable citizens - to line their own pockets.

"I urge everyone to be on their guard for possible COVID-19 scams and to look out for vulnerable family members, friends and neighbours who may become a target for fraudsters."

Among the COVID-19 scams identified by Trading Standards are:

• Doorstep crime - Criminals taking money after offering to do shopping or cleaning services.
• Online - Email scams or fake online resources, such as maps and local information on coronavirus cases, which put people at risk of malware or identity theft.
• Refunds - Companies or fake websites offering money back for cancelled holidays.
• Counterfeits - Fake sanitisers, face masks or swabbing kits sold online and door to door which can be unsafe.
• Telephone - False calls claiming to be from banks, mortgage lenders or utility companies.
• Donations - Reports of requests for donations for a COVID-19 vaccine.
• Loan sharks - Illegal money lenders preying in financial hardship.

National Trading Standards has set up a Friends Against Scams initiative designed to encourage people to protect neighbours from being exploited.

They advise people to be aware of people offering or selling:

• Virus testing kits - these are only offered by the NHS.
• Vaccines or miracle cures - there is currently no vaccine or cure.
• Overpriced fake goods, such as anti-bacterial products, to protect yourself from coronavirus.
• Shopping or medication collection services.
• Home cleaning services.

UK Finance, which represents the banking and finance industry, said there has been a rise in fake text messages - known as smishing - offering a payment or issuing fines related to the pandemic.

One message, complete with a link for payment, claims to be issuing a fine for leaving home too often during the lockdown.

UK Finance said the growing use of 'spoofing' - where a message appears in a chain of previous, genuine texts - was of particular concern.

A statement from the organisation said: "The banking industry continues to work closely with mobile network operators, government and other industry stakeholders to crack down on this type of fraud."

The Advertising Standards Authority has also issued a warning about potentially fake ads.

Chief executive Guy Parker said: "Bogus operators often use these situations to prey on people's fears and exploit their health-related anxieties, in particular by peddling products with misleading and sometimes dangerous health claims.

"Consumers who see ads, whether online, in newspapers, social media, posters or elsewhere, that claim to offer treatments for coronavirus should be highly sceptical."

For advice on scams, call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133 and to report a scam, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. Contact your bank if you think you have been scammed.