Alert as crooks spoof Met Police in elderly scam spree
Three older residents of a town centre dodged a cunning con on Friday 18 November 2022. A scammer pretending to be from the Metropolitan Police rang up claiming someone had been nabbed using cloned bank cards in their names. Two victims got this line about arrests, while a third was warned a crook was using cloned cards in a London jewellers.
Luckily, all three smelled a rat, refused to spill their bank details, and hung up.
More pensioners targeted
The scam didn’t stop there. On Monday 20 November, a fourth pensioner got a call saying a suspect was locked up at Hammersmith police station. Once again, quick-thinking saved the day and the victim ended the call before any info was lost.
Police issue urgent warning
Detective Chief Inspector Rik Spicer said: “These conmen will often try and alarm you by saying there has been fraudulent activity on your bank account, or they have arrested someone using a cloned card in your name.”
“The victims correctly became suspicious and ended the calls before any information was passed to the fraudsters. A genuine police force will NEVER ask for your bank details or money over the phone.”
“If you get a call like this, I’d advise you to hang up immediately.”
How to protect yourself
- If unsure about a caller claiming to be police, ask for their details and then hang up.
- Wait five minutes, then ring 101 (or 999 in an emergency) to check if the call was genuine.
- Never give money or valuables to couriers based on unsolicited calls.
Anyone with info on these scams should contact kent-police/" title="Kent Police">Kent Police on 01622 604100, quoting reference 20-1077. You can also report to Action Fraud at 0300 123 2040 or online. Crimestoppers offers anonymous reporting at 0800 555 111.
Stay sharp and don’t let scammers cash in on your kindness!
