Callers claiming to be Norfolk police have been asking people for personal details, and similar calls have turned up in three other parts of England.
Scammers are phoning people and pretending to be police officers. Norfolk Constabulary says the callers claimed to be from the force and asked for personal information. The attempts were reported on Monday.
Calls were reported in Suffolk, East Sussex and North Yorkshire. That suggests this is not limited to one county. The material does not say how many people were called, whether anyone lost money, or how the callers got their numbers.
One detail is worth knowing. Police warned that scammers may keep the phone line open after you hang up. If you call back right away, you could end up talking to the same fake officer. Waiting several minutes avoids that trap.
Anyone with a phone. People who naturally trust a caller who says they are from the police or a bank are the likeliest targets. A caller who sounds official and confident can be very convincing.
There is some reassurance. A force spokesman said an officer will never mind waiting while you check their identity through the control room. A real officer will not be offended. A scammer is the one who will push you to stay on the line.
The police say your bank or the police will never ask for your PIN, bank card or bank account details by phone. Officers also will not ask for money transfers, cash or cards to be collected, computer access or passwords. Any call that asks for these is a scam. The steps in the alert box above show how to check a caller safely.
If a caller says they are police and wants personal details, hang up, wait several minutes, and check by calling 101 from a different phone.
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