Fraudsters impersonating North Yorkshire Police target dozens of residents in new scam

North Yorkshire Police has issued an urgent warning to residents after receiving more than 50 reports in the last 72 hours from people targeted by fraudsters pretending to be police officers.

The force says the scammers are contacting members of the public by telephone, claiming to be officers investigating criminal activity in an attempt to obtain personal and financial information.

Victims have reported being given fake crime reference numbers and other convincing details designed to make the calls appear genuine.

North Yorkshire Police believes the criminals are using "spoofing" technology, which allows calls to appear as though they are coming from legitimate police telephone numbers.

Similar scams have been reported across the country, with fraudsters also impersonating officers from other police forces.

The callers attempt to persuade victims to reveal sensitive information about their finances, banking arrangements or cryptocurrency holdings, or to transfer money under the pretence of protecting it from criminal activity.

Residents are being urged to remain vigilant and to warn friends and family members who may be vulnerable to the scam.

Inspector Gavin Mayes, of North Yorkshire Police's Cyber Crime Unit, said: "The offenders behind these scams are skilled at social engineering and will often use elaborate stories to convince victims that the call is genuine.

"They frequently impersonate police officers and may transfer calls between multiple individuals posing as detectives to create a false impression of legitimacy.

"A common tactic is to claim that a suspect has been arrested and that the victim's personal information has been discovered on devices seized during an investigation.

"The victim is then persuaded that urgent action is required to protect their money from further criminality.

"The ultimate aim is always the same – to obtain personal information, banking credentials, cryptocurrency details or to convince the victim to transfer funds under the control of the offenders.

"We believe criminals may be working from information obtained through publicly available sources or historic data breaches, allowing them to target individuals with enough personal information to make their approach appear credible.

"Residents should remember one simple rule: police officers will never ask for your bank details, passwords, PIN numbers, cryptocurrency wallet credentials, recovery phrases or request that money be transferred to a 'safe account'.

"If you receive a call of this nature, end it immediately and report the matter to Action Fraud or the police."

North Yorkshire Police is reminding the public that genuine officers will never ask for confidential banking information, passwords or PIN numbers over the telephone, nor will they request that money is transferred into a so-called "safe account".

Anyone who receives a suspicious call claiming to be from the police is advised to hang up immediately and report the incident to Action Fraud or North Yorkshire Police.