Cold call police impersonation scams warning
Scammers posing as police officers are spooking victims into handing over money and personal details, Which? warns.
Police forces reported a spate of these scams earlier this year. Victims were told that a fraud case was being investigated, that a relative of theirs was in custody or that someone had their bank card and ID.
Alarmingly, this scam is back, so read on to find out how to stay safe.
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Police cold call
A Which? member contacted our Which? Money Helpline to talk about their recent experience of this scam.
They explained they’d received a cold call from someone who said he was a Chelmsford police officer. He read out a badge number and said that the police were holding a young man who’d been caught using the member's bank card. When asked which bank card he was referring to, the 'officer' couldn't answer.
The Which? member asked a few more questions, including the telephone number they were being called from, as the number was withheld. At this point, the scammer became aggressive and eventually hung up.
Some of these scams have been known to involve courier fraud, where criminals posing as police officers fabricate a scenario for the victim to hand over cash. Victims are told a 'courier’ will be sent to collect the cash or other valuable items and if a person doesn't comply they face being 'arrested'.
Spot and avoid cold call scams
Never disclose financial information over the phone. Some cold calls are random attempts to trick victims into handing over sensitive information, others use details already known about you - such as your name or address - to sound more convincing. An unexpected call probing for information or asking for money should raise suspicions.
Police officers will never make unsolicited calls to ask you for personal or financial information. They’ll also never ask you to transfer money into an account, hand over cash or bank cards to a courier, or pay a fine or fee over the phone.
Register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) to stop legitimate companies from making unsolicited sales and marketing calls to you. So when you receive a call like this, you'll know a scammer is on the other end of the line. You could also consider installing a call blocker for nuisance calls.
Reporting phone scams
To report a scam call received on your iPhone, text the word ‘call’ followed by the phone number to 7726. On an Android phone, text the word ‘call’ to 7726, and you’ll then receive a message asking you for the scam number.
WhatsApp scam calls can be reported by opening the WhatsApp chat with the dodgy phone number and tapping 'block'. You can report the contact by tapping 'report contact' and 'block'.
If you have been scammed, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your bank card and report it to Action Fraud or call the police on 101 if you live in Scotland.
