Warning Of Telephone Scam

Police want to make people aware of an attempted fraud that has been brought to the attention of officers in the last 24 hours.

The scam involves people receiving a telephone call from someone claiming to be a police officer informing them they have been victims of a theft from their bank account and asking that they provide their bank details over the telephone.

The common thread between all of the incidents, of which so far approximately seven have been reported to the police across Hull and East Yorkshire, is that the number ringing the potential victim is withheld. The caller has claimed to be a Chief Inspecter from Driffield Police Station and state they have the lodger of the victim in police custody. They explain that the lodger has a copy of the victim’s bank card and that funds have been withdrawn from their accounts. The caller has then asked for full bank details so that they can check if any funds have been withdrawn.

In all cases so far the targets of this attempt fraud have been elderly people.

In one of the cases reported yesterday (Wednesday 04 March) the call was marginally different, with the caller again claiming to be a Chief Inspector but this time they stated their bank account had been compromised and that the person needed to withdraw all of their funds in cash. 

It is not believed that anyone has yet fallen for this scam or handed over any money but police are keen to ensure people are aware of it and remain vigilant.

Detective Inspector Matthew Peach said: "These incidents would appear to be linked and on each occasion so far the person being targeted is elderly.

"I would like to advise residents to be wary of anyone calling them regarding bank details that all might not be as is suggested.

"Nobody should ever give out any bank details or personal details over the telephone and nor should anybody transfer any money to anyone unless it is a transaction they are absolutely sure of.

"The police would absolutely never request bank details from a member of the public.

"I want people to be aware of this latest scam and I would ask that family and friends of any elderly or particularly vulnerable people to make sure they are made aware of this and check they have not already been contacted."

Anyone who thinks they may have received a call along these lines is urged to report it to police on the non-emergency number 101 referring to log 369 of 05 March 2015.