Thames Valley Police warns of new wave of scams involving fake officers

Thames Valley Police is warning the public against a new method fraudsters are taking to scam people into handing over their details.

Instances where cold-callers are pretending to be police officers have been confirmed in the policing area.

One example of this scam, that was sent to residents by neighbourhood police, involved people being told someone had taken their bank card or ID. Another example involved fake officers telling someone that one of their relatives had been locked up.

The fake officer read out a badge number and claimed someone was being held in custody for using a bank card stolen from the victim.

In this instance a resident nearly fell for the scam, she withheld her banking information, but did give the offender her name and address. The incident was reported to Action Fraud.

A police spokesperson said: “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'.”

Thames Valley Police is advising residents to never disclose financial information over the phone. It states that 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, the force adds. Also, officers will 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.

Residents are advised to join the Telephone Preference Service to block unsolicited calls.

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, Thames Valley Police advises.