DORSET residents were today urged to be vigilant over an email scam asking for personal bank details.

A series of emails claiming to be from a bank informs recipients of 'errors' in their account that need updating.

Dorset County Council's trading standards service is asking people not to respond to these emails.

Trading standards officers said that by doing so people were giving away information that allows money to be withdrawn from their bank accounts.

Officers say that the majority of these emails originate overseas, making enforcement by trading standards and other enforcement agencies almost impossible.

Their main priority is to inform as many people as possible so they are aware of the scams and to prevent people from responding.

Dorset County Council's divisional trading standards manager Paul Carter said: "With all the current troubles within the banking industry, people may be tempted to respond to one of these emails believing it to be genuine, but they are not.

"If you receive one of these emails delete it, or if you have responded, then contact your bank immediately.

"Unfortunately these emails originate overseas, making enforcement action all but impossible.

"The trading standards service is sharing information with the Office of Fair Trading, the British banking initiative Bank Safe and the Serious Organised Crime Agency in the hope that action can be taken at a national level to stamp this out."

Mr Carter added that the Office of Fair Trading has 'some cross-border powers' regarding enforcement over bogus emails when their originator is from a European Community member state.