Thursday 18 June 2015

Another Scam Targeting The Elderly

SCAM TARGETING THE ELDERLY
People are urged not to fall foul of police telephone scam

Over the past few months Humberside Police have received a large number of calls from elderly residents reporting being called by an unknown person pretending to be a police officer in order to steal money.

Fortunately the majority of people have become suspicious and called Humberside Police; however numerous people have transferred large sums of money.

What is the scam?
The victim is called by an unknown person purporting to be a police officer. During the call the offender says the victims has been the victims of fraud and to contact their bank.

However, when the victim calls the bank the caller has not actually cleared and it is another person pretending to be a bank employee at the end of the line. They gather the victim’s card details and personal data, as well as confirming the story of the bogus officer has given them.

The victim then received a further call from the bogus police officer suggesting they transfer their money to a police security account or had over money to an officer/courier who will be sent to pick it up the money on the polices behalf.

What should people do if they are called?
  • never give out bank or personal details to strangers
  • don’t hand over money or transfer funds to unknown accounts
  • If called use another phone to ring the police to report the incident but do not use your own phone immediately as the offender may be on the line a short time after you have put your phone down.
Anyone who thinks they may have received a call along these lines should report it to police on the non-emergency number 101. 

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