IN the past few weeks. police have received many calls from the public telling them about various phone scams. As there are so many types of scams it is impossible to detail each one. The only way to protect yourself is to take the following steps:- 1, Never phone a number back if you do not recognise it; especially if it is a mobile phone number. 2, Never ever give any personal details over the phone ? reputable companies will not ask you for these. 3, If a caller asks you to press a certain digit ? don?t. You may end up paying for a very expensive call. 4, If a stranger rings you, do not enter into conversation, just put the phone down. If they ring back, do the same again. They soon get fed up, and don?t forget, it?s their bill not yours. 5, If someone rings you stating they are from a company you deal with and asks you to ring them back, always look the number up in the BT phonebook. If you do not want to receive direct marketing phone calls, register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). The service is free, but the actual phone call is at local rate. Tel 0845 07 007 07. This line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you need more information about malicious or nuisance calls, they can be found at the beginning of your BT phonebook.