Scammers are faking Monaco police phone calls using the real number

Monaco police have warned residents that scammers are phoning people while showing the force's own official number on the screen. The warning was reported by local news outlet HelloMonaco. If a call seems to come from the police, the number alone is no reason to believe it.

What happened

The calls look like they come from the police force's official phone number. That trick is often called spoofing. It means faking the caller ID, the line of text or digits that appears when your phone rings. Because the number looks right, the call feels trustworthy at a glance. That is exactly what the scammers are counting on.

Who it affects

The alert is aimed at residents of Monaco who get phone calls from someone claiming to be police. Anyone elsewhere can still learn from it. Spoofing is not limited to one place, and a number on a screen can be faked by anyone with the right tools.

What to do

The steps are in the alert box above. In short: do not hand over bank details, passwords or codes, hang up, and call the police back on a number you looked up yourself. Do not use a number the caller gives you. Also tell older relatives, who may be more likely to trust a call that appears to come from the police.

What is not known yet

The material does not say how many residents have received these calls, what the callers ask for, or whether anyone has lost money. It also does not say how the scammers are getting the real number to appear. Monaco police have not been quoted here beyond the warning itself. Suspicious calls should be reported to the police.