Officers are urging people to stay vigilant against scammers pretending to be police officers after a number of calls were reported.
Several people in Chesterfield, Derby and Ripley have reported receiving a call out of the blue from someone claiming to be a police officer who said they were contacting them about fraudulent activity on their accounts.
Scams like these will rely on the victim cooperating by giving details, bank cards or cash to the ‘officer’ or a courier.
Fortunately, in each of these cases details were not provided and the victim called us before providing any details or attending the meeting.
PC Louise Rodger, one of our fraud protect officers, said: “Please share this message with your friends and family members, especially older or vulnerable relatives.
“Talk to them about our crime prevention advice – Stop! Think! Tell! By remembering to do this, they can protect themselves against scams.”
We have been raising awareness of scams such as this and our Stop! Think! Tell message during our Sock it to the Scammers campaign, which features our bright pink sock puppet called Claude.
If you haven’t yet seen Claude, you can find out more about our campaign here: Pink puppet pops up with fraud tips to help ‘Sock It To The Scammers’ | Derbyshire Constabulary.
And from the Sock it to the scammers web page:
Anyone can be the target of a scam – these criminals know that we’re all busy people so might only be paying limited attention to that risky link or call.
Listen to Claude and if you’re not sure:
- Stop before clicking a link, giving your information or following the instructions from the caller.
- Think about what they’re asking for, and why they say they need it. Banking and personal information is very valuable so consider carefully before giving any details.
- Tell another person or organisation. If you’re still not sure about this request, talk to someone you trust – if you’re ever in doubt, try and verify what’s being asked and look for further advice: Advice about fraud | Derbyshire Constabulary (cds.co.uk)
This campaign has been created by our media team and includes a series of awareness videos and victim interviews.
Make sure to follow our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok accounts for all the latest on Claude.
If you think you might have been a victim of courier fraud, a scam, fraud or online crime (cybercrime) you can report it by contacting us on the details below, or to Action Fraud, the national reporting centre, online at www.actionfraud.police.uk, or on 0300 123 2040:
- Website – We have crime reporting tools on our website: www.derbyshire.police.uk
- Facebook – send us private message to the Derbyshire Constabulary Facebook page
- Twitter – direct message our contact centre via @DerPolContact
- Phone – call us on 101
You can also anonymously contact the independent charity CrimeStoppers, on 0800 555 111, or by visiting the CrimeStoppers website: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/.
#SockItToTheScammers
