Officers warn of ‘police’ scam

SOPHISTICATED scammers are posing as police officers to target residents in two East Yorkshire towns.

The fraudsters claim to work for Humberside Police and call victims pretending they had had their bank cards fraudulently used in either Pocklington or Market Weighton.

A Humberside Police spokesman said: “In the past few weeks, we have received reports from members of the public about bogus callers.

“The reports state that the callers are claiming they are from Humberside Police, and they are ringing to let them know that their bank card has been used fraudulently in either Pocklington or Market Weighton. However, they are likely to try phone numbers in other areas.

“The caller appears to know where they live and then asks them to ring back immediately on 999 and ask for a detective constable who is dealing with the incident. They even provide a collar number.

“This is a scam. We would never ask you to ring 999 to speak to an officer about an investigation.

“Please do not give out any personal details or banking information during the call. The bank or the police will never tell you to disclose such information.

“If in doubt, call your bank back on a number you trust, or call us on 101 – but do it on another phone or leave it at least five minutes before you make the call. This is important because criminals can keep the phone line open for several minutes after you put down the phone, which means you could end up inadvertently talking to the criminal or their accomplice again.

“If you receive this type of call hang up immediately, and TAKE FIVE. If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.”