Stay vigilant following recent scam

We are advising people to stay vigilant following a recent scam where financial fraudsters pretend to be police officers over the phone. 

This week, different people have been getting cold calls from fraudsters claiming that someone has been arrested with their cards or their bank accounts have been compromised. 

The fraudsters then ask the victims to withdraw money from their accounts to secure the evidence or to assist with enquiries. The suspects then arrange collection of the money from either the home address or a pre-arranged location. 

We would like to reiterate that neither police nor bank officials will ever ask you to withdraw money from your account, assist in enquiries of this nature, or hand over your personal details or passwords. 

Police will also never ask anyone to purchase gold or jewellery, or leave their cards out for collection. 

If you believe you are being targeted by a scammer hang up the phone and use a different phone line to call Action Fraud or the police, as scammers have a way to stay on the line and will pretend to be the police when you call back. 

If you don’t have access to a different phone line, wait for a period of time and try calling a family member of friend first to make sure the scammer is no longer on the line. 

Just because someone knows basic details about you like your address or date of birth, it does not mean they are genuine police or bank employees. 

Always question suspicious phone calls and report them to Action Fraud or the police. 

If you think you or someone you know has been defrauded, you can report it to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040