Urgent warning about fake police officer phone scam issued by force

In the last few days, police have seen a big rise in the number of local people being targeted by this scam in which a caller claiming to be a police officer tells their victim that they have arrested someone found to be using the victim’s bank card/s.

The caller, most recently using the name ‘DC Thomas Daniels’ and claiming to be from ‘Paddington Police Station’ instructs the victim to go to the bank and withdraw all money from their account, police said.

They then inform them that a ‘police officer’ will attend their home address to collect the money and take it for safekeeping.

In a social media alert, police said: "This is a scam and one we have seen many times over the years but it continues to be used to target victims of all ages with some losing hundreds of thousands of pounds.

"Remember: The police or your bank will never ask you to move, withdraw or transfer your money

"The police will never tell you to lie to your bank

"Scammers can spoof phone numbers to make it appear they are calling from a police station or bank customer services for example so don’t trust the number displayed on your caller ID

"If you are at all concerned, hang up.

"Please tell as many people as you can about this scam, by making sure it’s as widely known as possible we can help stop more people falling victim to it."

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