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:

“Everyone believes they won’t fall victim to a scammer but these individuals are experienced professionals who know every trick in the book to gain your trust.

“A police officer will never get in touch and advise you to move, transfer or pay money and neither will a bank or building society. If you receive a call out of the blue offering money or security advice, be very suspicious and do not give the caller any personal or account details.

The police have encouraged anyone caught out by this scam to report it to the force on 101.

Harrogate district residents expecting deliveries over the holiday period are being targeted by fraudsters.

North Yorkshire Police has received 24 reports of the scam since November an dis urging people to be vigilant over the festive season.

The scammers have been sending messages saying delivery slots with parcel delivery firm DPD have been missed. The message includes a link to rearrange a delivery time.

The victim is then asked to pay a small sum to rearrange delivery. If they agree, they often then receive another call purporting to be from their bank alerting them to suspicious activity.

The victim is then asked to transfer their money to an account they believe to be secure, but to which the scammers have access.

The conmen are taking advantage of the popularity of delivery services in the run up to Christmas.

Read more:

• Doorstep scams were on the rise over lockdown. 
• Puppy scammers target Harrogate mum and her disabled daughter. 

Andy Fox, financial abuse safeguarding officer at North Yorkshire Police, said:

“If you receive an email purporting to be from DPD, check the sender. DPD has confirmed genuine emails will only come from the following addresses: dpd.co.uk, dpdlocal.co.uk or dpdgroup.co.uk and that they will never ask you to pay for a redelivery.

“Be very careful before clicking on any links in an email and if you are in any doubt, check the company’s website for details of any known scams. If you have received an email which you’re unsure about, you can report it to report@phising.gov.uk. You can report suspicious text messages by forwarding them to 7726.”

The police have also received reports that the fraudsters have gained enough information over the phone to take out a loan in the victim’s name. This is then transferred to a bank account they control.

The police have encouraged anyone that has been caught out by this scam to contact their bank immediately and report it to the force on 101.