Fraudsters are calling people as fake detectives, and the caller ID shows a real West Midlands Police number. Here is why a familiar number is not proof.
Scammers are phoning people and claiming to be West Midlands Police detectives. The calls appeared to come from the force's real switchboard number, 0121 626 5000. Police say that is a trick, and the callers are believed to have used caller ID spoofing.
Caller ID spoofing means a caller makes any number they like show up on your screen. It can look exactly like a genuine police line, a bank or a shop. So the number alone tells you nothing about who is on the phone.
The force says the callers added detail to sound real. They gave fake officer names, collar numbers (an officer's ID number), log numbers and crime references. They also asked questions to pull out personal information. One person was told to expect an email with a link they had to click.
The safest move is to end the call and check the claim yourself. The steps are in the alert box above. Police also say you can always ask an officer for ID, and that real officers carry a collar number and a warrant card.
Police have started an investigation to find who is behind the calls. The material does not say how many calls were made, where they were aimed or whether anyone lost money.
If you get one of these calls, you can report it to police on 101 or through the force's website. More fraud advice is on the Report Fraud website, reportfraud.police.uk.
A real-looking police number on your screen proves nothing, so hang up on any unexpected call that asks for bank details or a link click.
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