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13
Jan 2021
Fake police officer targets North Yorkshire with credit card scam
Scammers pretending to be police officers are targeting local residents for money.
North Yorkshire Police said today it had received reports from people who had been called by a man claiming to be a police officer.
The bogus officer told the people they called that one of their relatives was in police custody and that this person was in possession of their bank and credit cards.
The victims were then asked to immediately call their bank or the police on 911 to verify this was genuine, using the same phone and without waiting for a dial tone.
Fake officer names have included Detective Matthews, DI Stevens and DC Winston.
Six cases have been reported to the police and so far none have resulted in a loss of money.
Read more:
- Police appeal for help after fraudsters steal from elderly woman in Summerbridge.
- Police ask residents to be vigilant following reports of a scam involving delivery fraud.
Police are urging people to hang up if they're suspicious and to use a different line if they need to call the police or bank.
They added that officers and banks would never contact people to move or transfer money.
Last year North Yorkshire Police financial abuse safeguarding officer, Andy Fox, released the following statement about a similar scam:
The police have encouraged anyone caught out by this scam to report it to the force on 101.
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