North Yorkshire Police issue bogus police officer warning after increase in telephone scams

North Yorkshire Police is urgently warning residents about the return of telephone scammers who are targeting elderly homeowners while pretending to be police officers.
By Louise Perrin
Published 24th Mar 2022, 16:05 BST
Updated 24th Mar 2022, 16:06 BST
People have been asked to keep a watchful eye for scammers.People have been asked to keep a watchful eye for scammers.
People have been asked to keep a watchful eye for scammers.

Four such telephone scam incidents were reported in the Scarborough and Filey area on the morning on Monday March 22.

The victims included men and woman aged between their mid-70s and early 90s.

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On each occasion, the callers claimed to be from either “Hammersmith Police”, “The Met” or “Scotland Yard”.

The bogus names used included “Superintendent Shelby”, “DCI James Hardwire”, "Sergeant Fisher" and "PC Ryan”.

Sadly, two of the residents were tricked into passing their bank details to the scammers which resulted in thousands of pounds being taken from their accounts.

Their banks have been informed about the fraudulent transactions.

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North Yorkshire Police officers have provided advice and reassurance to the victims while enquiries continue.

North Yorkshire Police’s Financial Abuse Safeguarding Officer, Andy Fox said: “This is a scam we have seen a number of times over the years, but people continue to fall victim because the scammers are so effective at manipulating their victims.

“They will often provide reassurance by getting other scammers to pose as different police officers and call the victims to further convince them the scam is legitimate.

“Whenever we provide these warnings, we often hear people comment that they would never believe something which is so obviously a scam but until you are in that situation, it’s impossible to judge.

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“The key thing to remember is that the police or your bank will never call you and tell you to move or withdraw your money or ask you for your banking details.

“If this happens, it is definitely a scam and you should hang up immediately.”

Top tips to keep safe from scammers

- The police or bank will never ask you to withdraw or transfer money

- If you are ever told to lie to your bank, it is a scam

- Criminals can spoof telephone numbers, making it appear they are calling from a known bank customer service or police number so do not trust the number displayed on the caller ID

- If you are ever in any doubt, hang up immediately

- If you are worried you may have fallen victim to a scam, call 101 to report this to the police

- You must also inform your bank immediately