Gloucestershire Police is warning communities that 01285 telephone numbers are being targeted by fraudsters, who are telephoning elderly people pretending to be the police.
The fraudsters tell the victims that their bank account has been compromised and that the police are investigating.
The victims are instructed to withdraw cash at their local branch, to “assist the police investigation”.
The victims are then told the money is counterfeit and a “police courier” arrives at the victim’s address to collect it. The force control room received five such reports in one day.
In each case, the victim’s 01285 landline telephone number was called by fraudsters pretending to be local officers from Cirencester Police Station.
REMEMBER the Police will NEVER ask you to withdraw money as part of a covert investigation.
If you have been the victim of fraud, or simply want to report a suspicious telephone call, message, or email, then please visit the Government’s online fraud platform: https://stopthinkfraud.campaign.gov.uk/.
