An elderly person receives a telephone call from the suspect purporting to be a Police Officer.
The caller asked them would they do if they needed help, she replied dial 999.
The caller told the victim that to prove who they were, they should put the phone down and dial 999 which the caller did.
The victim did this, or so they thought, and felt reassured that having dialled 999 they were talking to the same person and that they must in fact be the police.
The victim was asked whether they had used their bank card recently.
The suspect said that money had been taken from her account to purchase a TV and camera, the victim denied making the purchase.
The suspect asked the victim how many bank accounts they had and how much money was in each of them.
The elderly person was told that they would receive another call the following day. (This did not happen)
After the first call, the victim mentioned it to a family member who immediately took steps to prevent any money from being stolen from the accounts.
The Police WILL NOT telephone anyone and ask for personal information.
If any caller invites you to put the phone down and redial a number in order to prove who they are, then ensure there is a dial tone when redialling. If you don’t hear it, it is most likely that you are still connected to the original caller. Yes, this scam is really still going on.
If you have elderly family, please ensure their telephones have adequate call filtering and are aware of this scam. Most providers will assist account holders in setting up various types of call blocking.
Mr Nigel Sutton (8517)
Economic and Cyber Security Advisor
Cambridgeshire Constabulary
Hinchingbrooke Park|Huntingdon|PE29 6NP
Landline: 01480 422773
Mobile: 07894177311
