Suffolk Police warns of phone scam using cloned police numbers
Suffolk Police received multiple reports of scammers posing as officers using cloned phone numbers. Residents are urged to hang up and call 101 to verify any caller's identity.
Suffolk residents targeted by callers impersonating police officers
Suffolk Police has received multiple reports of scammers posing as police officers, bbc.com reports, with incidents logged on both Wednesday and Thursday of this week.
The fraudsters reportedly used a cloned phone number belonging to Suffolk Police, meaning any attempt to call back the number would connect directly to the force's own switchboard — making the deception harder to detect.
Suffolk Police and Suffolk Trading Standards have jointly urged the public to hang up immediately if they receive such a call and to dial 101, preferably from a different phone, to verify the caller's identity.
"An officer will never mind waiting for you to check their identity via the control room," the force stated. "Please share this message with anyone who you think may be vulnerable."
Suffolk Police confirmed it is aware of similar incidents being reported by other forces in recent days.
The force outlined a number of actions that a genuine police officer will never request over the phone:
- Handing over cash or a bank card to a courier
- Transferring money to another account
- Paying fines or fees by phone
- Providing access to a computer or passwords
- "Assisting" an investigation by carrying out any of the above
Anyone who believes they have been targeted is encouraged to report the incident through the appropriate channels.
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)