Fraud alert

Fraud alert

Report Fraud alert: Police forces being impersonated in scam calls using ‘spoofed’ phone numbers

Report Fraud, run by the City of London Police, is urging the public to be sure of who they are talking to following a spike in reports of calls from ‘spoofed’ police force phone numbers.

Analysis of data from Report Fraud, the national cyber crime and fraud reporting service, shows that there has been an increase in reports made where the caller has purported to be from a police force from a variety of areas across the country. The City of London Police itself, the National Lead Force for fraud, has also taken thousands of crime reports of a similar nature.

But in reality, it is a criminal contacting a member of the public, using a ‘spoofed’ phone number to try and obtain sensitive personal or financial details so that fraud can then go on to be committed. Often, the criminals will claim that the victim will be helping with an investigation by providing the personal or financial information they are asking for.

While a number of calls about this type of fraud has been made to Report Fraud, this is likely to be the tip of the iceberg and a far bigger problem that is not reported, so the full scale is unknown.

Criminals use ‘spoofing’ software to intentionally cover up their real caller ID and instead, mirror the phone number of a legitimate organisation. They do this to make it appear that calls or text messages are coming from a trusted organisation like the police, banks or government agencies.

These scam calls may use AI technology, be automated or from a real person. Their main goal is to trick you into sharing personal information or to transfer money.

Chief Superintendent Amanda Wolf, Head of Report Fraud Operations, said:

“Fraudsters are constantly adapting their tactics and will exploit the trust people place in organisations such as the police, banks and other public services.

“The reports coming into Report Fraud are unlikely to reflect the full scale of the issue. We are hearing from police forces across the country that members of the public are continuing to receive calls from criminals impersonating trusted organisations.

“My advice is simple: if you receive an unexpected call claiming to be from the police, your bank or any other organisation and you are asked to provide personal, financial or security information, stop the conversation and verify who you are speaking to. End the call and contact the organisation directly using details you have sourced yourself from an official website or trusted correspondence.

“Genuine organisations will understand and support your decision to independently verify their identity. Fraudsters will often try to create urgency or pressure you into acting quickly. Take a moment, pause and check before you act.

“If you suspect a call is fraudulent, end the call immediately and report it by texting 7726 with the word 'Call' followed by the caller's number. Every report helps build a clearer picture of the threat and supports efforts to disrupt fraudsters.”

How to protect yourself

Report a suspicious phone call

If you've lost money or have been hacked as a result of responding to a phishing message or scam call, you should report it to Report Fraud.

In England, Wales or Northern Ireland, visit https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/ or call 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland by calling 101.

You should also report suspected scam calls by sending a text to 7726 with the word ‘Call’ and the caller's number.

If you’ve shared personal information with a suspicious caller