SCAM ALERT: Criminals posing as police officers continue to plague county

Scammers posing as police officers are continuing to plague the county.
Lincolnshire police warning over police impersonatorsLincolnshire police warning over police impersonators
Lincolnshire police warning over police impersonators

The con artists, who target the elderly and vulnerable, are believed to have cost victims many thousands of pounds.

Lincolnshire Police says it is becoming increasingly concerned about the issue.

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And it has today urged residents to make sure neighbours and family who could be potential targets are aware of the danger.

The force says it continues to receive reports of police impersonation as well as ‘courier fraud’ – where scammers call the victim pretending to be police or bank officials – across the county.

Incidents have taken place in areas including Boston, South Holland, the Lincolnshire coast, Grantham and Stamford.

And the latest report was in the Louth area, where a woman in her 40s was called by someone claiming to be from the police and told her card had been cloned.

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The caller asked her to withdraw money and said they would collect it.

The victim realised it was scam and hung up the phone. She waited several hours before reporting it to police as she feared scammers may still be on her phone line.

When the issue was highlighted last month, police said then at least £16,300 is known to have been lost to these fraudsters .

Detective inspector Kara Nicholson said: “Please take a few minutes out of your day to visit your vulnerable and elderly neighbours and tell them about these scams.

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“We are becoming increasingly concerned as these scammers are targeting the elderly and vulnerable. We need to make them aware that the police, their bank or any other legitimate organisation would never ask them for money.

“If anyone calls and asks for money please hang up the phone and call us on another line. If you do not have another line then please ask a neighbour to call us.

“Scammers can be very clever and sometimes use a phone number that replicates your bank’s telephone number. They also make out they are police officers. Do not be fooled and please hang up on them.”

If you are contacted by anyone on the phone asking for money call 101, or to report a crime in action call 999.

You can also report the call to Action Fraud on 0300 1232040.

Further advice on fraud can be found at https://www.lincs.police.uk/reporting-advice/fraud-and-scams/