FRAUD & SCAM WARNING
Hampshire residents have been receiving calls from a man claiming to be a police officer from Bournemouth Police. Those receiving calls were told that someone was either attempting to access their bank account or that someone has been arrested for doing so. They were then asked for personal details including their PIN numbers and to hang up and call their bank. When the victim has picked up the phone to call the bank, the original caller hasn’t hung up the phone, staying on the line and it is the offender the victim speaks to, not the bank. On some of the occasions the caller has told the victim to withdraw large sums of money from their accounts which have then been collected by courier, or they are told to hand over their bank cards to the courier.
Police warn that these calls are not genuine and no police officer or bank would operate in this manner. Anyone who receives a suspicious call is urged not to give out any details to the caller and report the matter to the police immediately.
People are reminded of the following advice:
Never give out personal information about your bank account to anybody over the phone.
If someone calls claiming to be a police officer, ask for their identification number and police force. Advise that you will call them back to verify who they are, then hang up. A genuine police officer will not mind waiting while you check. Call them back using the police non emergency number 101, either using a different phone or waiting at least 10 minutes before making the call.
If you have given out information which could compromise your bank account security in any way, call your bank to cancel your cards as soon as possible.
Never hand over money to someone at the door to be sent off elsewhere.
If someone comes to your door claiming to be a police officer or staff member, always ask for identification and make a note of their identification number. Ask them to wait whilst you verify their identity, close the door and call 101.
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