Police phone number spoofed to scam victims
PAFraudsters have been spoofing police phone numbers to call unsuspecting victims and trick them into transferring money to them, detectives say.
Merseyside Police said one victim transferred what the force said was a significant amount of money.
The force said the criminals pretended to be detectives investigating identity thefts in order to get people to give them their bank details or information about any cryptocurrency they might have.
Det Sgt John Causton said."Impersonating a police officer is a criminal offence which puts our communities at risk."
Causton added that the force would investigate reports of people pretending to be police officers "on people's doorsteps, on the phone or online" and take action against those responsible.
He said genuine officers carried a warrant card and had a collar number, and said anyone unsure about an officer's identity could verify their details by calling the police.
"Remember, a police officer should never ask you to disclose your PIN number or card details, either in person, on the phone or online," he added.
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