Residents warning about scammers posing as Police

Fraudsters posing as police officers have been contacting residents in Hertfordshire in recent weeks.

During the last week of May fraudsters targeted six residents in Hertfordshire, managing to scam them out of £12,000 in total, by posing as police officers and asking them to hand over their bank cards or money.

Five of the victims were contacted by people claiming to be police officers and another by someone posing as a fraud investigator from HSBC. 

These kinds of scams often involve fraudsters calling the victims via a mobile or a landline number, posing as a police officer or bank official, claiming fraudulent activity has taken place on their bank account. The victims are then instructed to put their bank cards and/or money into an envelope and give them to a courier or taxi, which is sent to their home by the offenders to collect. 

In some cases, the victim may be asked to buy goods or vouchers. If bank cards are collected, they can be used later by the offenders to withdraw large sums of money.

The offenders may also ask the victim to disclose their bank details, including their account and PIN numbers, to aid the bogus investigation. 

The number of courier fraud offences reported has been increasing across theregion, with people losing large sums of money. It’s important to remember that police officers or bank officials will never ask you for sensitive information, like a PIN or ask you to purchase high value items to assist them with an enquiry.

Usually, the intended victim realises the call is not genuine and refuses to part with their personal and bank details. However, these fraudsters can be very persuasive and insistent, which has resulted in some people falling victim to this scam and subsequently losing thousands of pounds.”

If you receive a call you are not expecting, you should be suspicious. The vital things to remember are that your bank and the police would:

If you are not happy with a phone call and are suspicious of the conversation you have with the caller, then please end the call and dial 101 or report online herts.police.uk/report. In an emergency or if a crime is in progress call 999 immediately. 

Remember, when reporting a suspicious phone call to police, wait at least five minutes before attempting to make the call to ensure you’re not reconnected to the offender.

Alternatively, use a mobile phone or a neighbour’s phone or test your landline by phoning a friend or relative first, to ensure you aren’t still unwittingly connected to the offender.

If you have concerns about your bank account, visit your local branch. 

How to protect yourself:

Remember to follow the above advice. In addition to this, some phone companies offer call screening services that can be effective in blocking marketing cold calls and bogus callers. Contact your phone company and ask about call screening and caller display services. 

How can you help?