Evening 

I just wanted to share with you that even the police receive fake scam calls! Yesterday morning I received a call from someone purporting to be from HMRC and claimed I owed hundreds of pounds in unpaid taxes. The recorded message said HMRC were filing a lawsuit against me and requested me to press 1 to speak to a caseworker and to make a payment.

Criminals often impersonate legitimate organisations in an attempt to dupe their victims and leave them out of pocket. So it’s important to be extra cautious if you receive a text message about a parcel you may be expecting, for example, or a call claiming to be from your bank.

You may not know that there is an easy, free service you can use to report suspicious texts or calls you might receive on your mobile. It’s called 7726. 

Learn how to forward scam or spam texts and report calls to 7726 on iOS and Android phones here: How to report scam texts and mobile calls - Ofcom 

When you’ve done this, it alerts your mobile provider to investigate the number and potentially block it, if it’s found to be a nuisance

Please help us raise awareness of this scam by informing your elderly or vulnerable relatives, friends and neighbours.

You can also find plenty of fraud prevention advice at Action Fraud - Report the phish | Action Fraud or by visiting our website: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/

Please note, we're unable to accept reports of crime through Your Neighbourhood Alerts. You can report non-emergency crime online here. Always call 999 in an emergency.