Scam calls are appearing to come from genuine UK police force numbers
According to City of London Police and Report Fraud, criminals are spoofing real police numbers to make fraud calls look genuine. The advice is to hang up and call back on a number you find yourself.
In short
- What happened?
- According to City of London Police and Report Fraud, criminals are spoofing genuine UK police force numbers so scam calls look real, claiming the person is helping with an investigation in order to obtain personal or financial details.
- What was the warning sign?
- A call that appears to come from the police and says you are helping with an investigation while asking for personal or financial details.
- What can you do?
- Hang up and call back on a number you find yourself, such as 101 for police or 159 for your bank. Do not trust caller ID, and report suspicious calls by texting 7726.
What happened
According to City of London Police, speaking with Report Fraud, criminals are using spoofing software so that scam calls appear to come from the real phone numbers of UK police forces. The caller says the person who answers is helping with an investigation, and uses that story to try to obtain personal or financial details.
The police said the calls may be automated, AI-driven or made by a live person. Report Fraud has seen rising reports from forces across the country, and City of London Police said it has taken thousands of similar reports.
Because the number on the screen can look entirely genuine, it is easy to see why careful people may be taken in.
Warning signs
- A call that seems to come from a police force, saying you are involved in or helping with an investigation.
- Requests for personal or financial details over the phone.
- A caller who relies on the number shown on your screen as proof of who they are.
- Pressure to carry on talking rather than end the call.
What families can do
- Hang up if you are unsure. A genuine caller will understand.
- Call back on a number you find yourself, not one the caller gives you. The police advice is 101 for police and 159 for your bank.
- Do not treat caller ID as proof. According to the report, numbers can be spoofed.
- Report suspicious contact. The advice in the report is to text 7726, and you can also report to Report Fraud.
- Talk it over with a relative or friend, especially older family members who may be called at home.
Agreeing a simple rule in the family, that nobody shares details on an incoming call and everyone calls back first, can make these moments easier. QuietGuard can add a layer for this kind of risk: when protection is on, only trusted contacts you have chosen can ring, and other calls stay silent and are logged in a quiet log to check later. It does not judge whether a caller is genuine, so calling back on a number you have looked up yourself, or contacting the police or your bank, remains the right step.
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