Police issue warning after resurgence in fake police officer scam

North Yorkshire Police is issuing an urgent warning after a surge in local residents being targeted by a scam in which a caller claims to be a police officer.

The caller claims to be a police officer, in the most recent incidents ‘DC Thomas Daniels’ from ‘Paddington Police Station’, and informs the victim they have arrested someone who has been using the victim’s bank card/s.

The caller then advises the victim to go to their bank and withdraw all money from their account, telling them a police officer will attend their home to collect the money and take it for safekeeping whilst investigations continue.

North Yorkshire Police Financial Abuse Safeguarding Officer, Andy Fox said:

“This is a scam we have seen a number of times over the years but people continue to fall victim because the scammers are so effective at manipulating their victims. They will often provide reassurance by getting other scammers to pose as different police officers and call the victims to further convince them the scam is legitimate.

“A key alarm bell in this scam is that the victim is told to lie to the bank about why they are withdrawing the money and this is something the police will never ask anyone to do.

“Whenever we provide these warnings, we often hear people comment that they would never believe something which is so obviously a scam but until you are in that situation, it’s impossible to judge.

“The key thing to remember is that the police or your bank will never call you and tell you to move or withdraw your money. If this happens, it is definitely a scam and you should hang up immediately.”

Top tips to keep safe:

• The police or bank will never ask you to withdraw or transfer money
• If you are ever told to lie to your bank, it is definitely a scam
• Criminals can spoof telephone numbers, making it appear they are calling from a known bank customer service or police number so do not trust the number displayed on the caller ID.
• If you are ever in any doubt, hang up immediately.
• If you are worried you may have fallen victim to a scam, call 101 to report this to the police.