RESIDENTS are being warned to be on their guard after reports of a number of targeted scams.
North Yorkshire Police say that in recent days they have received reports of fraudsters calling elderly homeowners, pretending to be police officers. Incidents have been reported from around the county, however, four incidents have recently been received from the East Coast.
The victims ranged in age from being in their 70s to their 90s.
On each occasion, the callers claimed to be from either “Hammersmith Police”, “The Met” or “Scotland Yard.”
The bogus names included; “Superintendent Shelby”, “DCI James Hardwire”, “Sergeant Fisher” and “PC Ryan.”
PCSO Nathan Stuart from Scarborough police said: “If you are contacted by someone claiming to be from the police ask for their collar number, name and force which they are calling from.
“Advise them that you will verify them then hang up the call. If possible, use another phone, or wait 2-3 minutes, then call 101.
“Callers can spoof their numbers to make them look genuine.
“Never give personal or financial information over the phone. Even if you are not sure, you can call 101. When you phone North Yorkshire Police, you may be asked to create a password – this will allow you to ask callers for the password to give an indication as to whether any further calls are genuine.”
Also within the last week, police say a number of people have fallen victim to a scam which purports to have come from chocolate giants, Cadbury.
The message is being sent via social media including WhatsApp. The recipient is sent a link from a friend, which claims to offer a free chocolate product, such as an Easter chocolate hamper.
The message is a phishing scam, where the fraudster will then obtain personal details of the victim.
Cadbury have also released a statement via Twitter: “We’ve been made aware of circulating posts on social media claiming to offer consumers a free Easter Chocolate basket. We can confirm this hasn’t been generated by us & we urge consumers not to interact. Your security is our priority & we’re currently working to resolve this.”
* If you receive this message – delete it and don’t open the link.
* If you have opened the message, don’t provide any information
* If you have provided information, which includes your financial information, contact your bank.
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