Police have received the report of a fraudster impersonating a Police Officer. They are contacting persons, telling them they have been a victim of fraud and to call 101 for more details. If this happens, you should hang up immediately and check the phone line is clear before making any further calls.

For advice and information on reporting scams, please see below:

Initial Reporting And Advice

If you have made a payment in response to a scam, contact your bank as soon as possible as they may be able to recover some of your money and will refund you in certain circumstances. You can find more information about asking your bank for help to get your money back in our reimbursement toolkit.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger because of a scam (for example, being threatened by an aggressive doorstep caller), call the Police on 999.

REPORT: Action Fraud

Action Fraud is the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cyber-crime where you should report fraud if you have spotted a scam or have been scammed, defrauded or experienced cyber-crime.

You can visit the website (www.actionfraud.police.uk) or call Action Fraud on 0300 123 20 40.

ADVICE: Citizens Advice Consumer Service

Citizens Advice Consumer Service can offer support if you or someone you know has been scammed. They will give you advice on what to do next.

You can visit the website (www.citizensadvice.org.uk) or call Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.

What To Do If You’ve Spotted A Suspicious Email

If you have received an email which you’re not quite sure about, forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS):

report@phishing.gov.uk

The message might be from a company you don’t normally receive communications from, or someone you do not know. You may just have a hunch. If you are suspicious, you should report it.
Your report of a phishing email will help the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to act quickly, protecting many more people from being affected.

You can read more here.

Reporting Spam Text Messages

You can report spam text messages to your mobile phone provider free of charge by forwarding the text message to 7726. You may get an automated response thanking you for the report giving you further instructions if needed.

Useful Friends Against Scams Materials

Scams Protection Guide

Are you or your loved ones being targeted by scams? Help to manage finances and avoid scams for people at risk and those who support them.

This guide has been created to provide information to individuals and their loved ones to help protect them from scams. It suggests measures that can be put in place to help prevent criminals from making contact, such as the use of call blockers and the mail redirection service. It also provides information on managing finances to reduce the risk of scams, such as implementing a Lasting Power of Attorney.

You can download the guide here.

Fortnightly Scam Alert

A fortnightly Scam Alert of news articles over the previous two weeks that anyone can sign up to receive.

To view the latest Scam Alert and to subscribe, click here.

Further Reading And Consumer Advice:

Take Five To Stop Fraud  

Take Five is a national campaign that offers straight-forward and impartial advice to help everyone protect themselves from preventable financial fraud. This includes email deception and phone-based scams as well as online fraud – particularly where criminals impersonate trusted organisations. Find out more at General Advice | Take Five (takefive-stopfraud.org.uk)