Warning over fake ‘police officer’ scam

Police are investigating a number of scams reported where fraudsters have claimed to be police officers in order to obtain money.

An 89-year-old man from Monmouthshire had £6,000 stolen by scammers earlier this month.

The fraudsters claimed to be police officers from ‘Luton Police’ working on an ‘undercover’ investigation into fraudulent activity and that they needed the victim’s help to catch the criminals.

The victim was then told a police officer – another fraudster – will collect the cash from them to ‘keep safe’.

This is a national courier fraud scam where criminals have used a number of different strategies including asking victims not to tell family or the banks what the money is for due to the ‘undercover investigation’.

Victims have also been asked to ring 999 or 101 to check the ‘legitimacy of the call’ however, because the criminal keeps the phone line open, the call is again answered by a fraudulent accomplice.

Detective Superintendent Nick Wilkie, lead for fraud, said: “I cannot stress enough how sophisticated and well-rehearsed these scammers are. Our message is clear – the police, government agencies or banks will never ask you to disclose personal information, bank details or demand payments.

“I would urge all residents to share this message and raise awareness of this scam in particular with elderly relatives or more vulnerable members of the community.

"Officers have been working with local banks and the local authority to raise awareness of this scam and to report any suspicious activity.

“If you receive any calls of this nature – they are a scam- please hang up and call us on 101 or 999 in an emergency.”