Advice issued following fraud calls pretending to be police

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

Recently, different people have been getting cold calls from fraudsters claiming to be from the Metropolitan Police. They have told callers they have someone in custody with a cloned bank card with the caller’s name on it, prompting them to transfer the caller to someone else and to confirm the bank details over the phone.

Luckily, the callers haven’t given any of their details and have contacted us to ask for advice.

Police would like to reiterate that neither police nor bank officials will ever ask you to withdraw money from your account, purchase anything or hand over your personal details or passwords.

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 or 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 doesn’t mean they are genuine bank or police 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.