Fake police officer scam in Portes-lès-Valence: three victims targeted
A fraudster posing as a police lieutenant has targeted at least three residents of Portes-lès-Valence to drain their bank accounts.
Fake police lieutenant operating in Drôme
At least three residents of Portes-lès-Valence have been victimised or approached by an individual posing as a police lieutenant, reports ledauphina.com. The incidents were reported in recent days, prompting Drôme police to issue a call for vigilance.
This type of scam is designated in police and judicial jargon as "false credentials fraud". The fraudster contacts his victim by telephone, presents himself as a police officer and tells him that his bank card has been hacked or compromised.
He then creates a context of urgency to rush his victim into a false procedure. According to investigators, two methods are employed: either the fraudster asks the victim to purchase payment vouchers and transmit the codes to him, or he dispatches an accomplice to the victim's home to collect the bank card directly.
Drôme police remind the public that they never ask for transfers to be made, prepaid vouchers to be purchased, or confidential codes to be communicated by telephone. In case of doubt, one should contact one's bank and report the facts by calling 17.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)