West Mercia Police warning public to stay safe over scam phone calls
The force say they had two reports earlier this month of criminals phoning people claiming to be from the police
West Mercia Police are warning people across Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire to keep themselves safe from scam phone calls where criminals claim to be from the police.
Earlier this month, the force said there had been two incidents in South Worcestershire where people had been contacted by men claiming to be officers in London.
They say the men told them that they were investigating fraud on their bank account.
Rebecca Smith from West Mercia Police's cyber crime unit says fraudsters are having to find new ways to try and get people to hand over information, and it's important people listen to the safety advice out there.
"It's having to change because people are now becoming more aware of the common tactic which was fraudsters saying that they were from the bank," she said.
"The fraudsters have had to sort of take another step forward and change their approach, and by saying that they're from the police, they add that position of authority to it like they did with the bank scams.
"No police force, bank, or other organisation will ask you to make a payment to withdraw money or to transfer monies, whether they're saying it's between your accounts or anything like that.
"They will not ask you to confirm your identification by giving out the details that's on your bank card, and if they're saying they're from a different police force rather than the police force that you're with at that time take that detail as well."
West Mercia Police say incidents like these are being tackled as part of Operation Prospero, which directly targets offenders posing as police officers and works in alongside Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and cyber-crime reporting centre.
Further information on advice to stay safe can be found on the police website.