Elderly Derbyshire residents targeted by scammers pretending to be police officers
Two elderly Derbyshire residents have been scammed out of thousands of pounds by fraudsters posing as police officers.
The fraud sees these fake officers asking people to give money to couriers as part of an investigation.
The scammers have been targeting elderly or vulnerable people and in the last week, two elderly residents have lost a substantial amount of money to the scam.
Police are encouraging all residents to be on their guard against these calls and to help spread the word with their family members and friends. The scam calls have been reported across the county with an increase in the number of calls received in recent weeks.
Fraud Protect Officer Tammy Barnes said: “These callers pretend to be investigating a crime involving the victims’ card or bank account.
“They then ask for money transfers, or even for cash withdrawals or bank cards to be given to a courier, to ‘assist with the investigation’ which the police will never do.”
The cold callers will give a fake name – potentially one of these:
DI Cameron
DS Cooper
DC Matthew Phillips
PC Smith
Another warning sign is that the fake officer says not to share any details of the call with anyone as it risks jeopardising the police investigation. This is to apply pressure to the victim to comply and not ask for help.
It’s also important to note on previous occasions the caller has asked the victim to call 999 to verify their claims but instead remains on the line to complete the scam.
The police will never contact you to request banking information or ask for funds to aid an investigation.
If you receive a call like this – hang up and contact police to report it as soon as possible. They can then assess where is targeted, alert banks and prevent other scams. Contact them on:
- Facebook – send us a private message to our Facebook page
- Twitter – direct message our contact centre via @DerPolContact
- Website – We have several crime reporting tools on our website or use our online contact form
- Phone – call us on 101
You can also anonymously contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111, or by visiting the CrimeStoppers website
If you wish to phone Police to report, wait five minutes after ending the scam call and make sure you hear a dial tone before calling 101.
More News From Amber Valley Info
| News Have you seen missing girl Megan From Ripley Have you seen Megan? The 15-year-old has been reported missing from her home in Ripley. read more | |
| A night at the museum for the 5th Dronfield Hilltop Cubs Great British Car Journey, the award-winning classic car museum in Ambergate, Derbyshire, hosted the pack for a very special read more | |
| Alfreton chapel with planning for redevelopment as two homes goes under the hammer The former Methodist chapel in the village of Westhouses near Alfreton is to go up for auction thi read more | |
| Love Sadler Gate Promises Blooming Good Time at Spring Market Love Sadler Gate, the collective of independent businesses in the iconic Derby Cathedral Quarter street, will be holdin read more | |
| Lord Burlington opens iconic Heage Windmill On Saturday around 120 guests welcomed Lord Burlington to Heage Windmill for the Official Opening of the mill following extensive repairs read more | |
The Amber Valley Info Noticeboard
| Cold Callers claiming to be working on behalf of Derbyshire County Council Policehave seen and increase in reports of 'cold callers' where people are claiming to be working on behal read more | |
| Subscriptions For Amber Valley Borough Councils 2024 Garden Waste Service Are Now Open The garden waste collection service is available to all residents in Amber Valley except for r read more | |
| Mobile networks are being improved in Ripley Mobile networks are being improved in Ripley boosting the speed, performance and coverage of mobile services in the area. read more | |
| Trent Barton Buses - Extension Of The £2 Single Fare Cap Trent Barton Buses have confirmed their participation in the extension of the £2 single fare cap until the end o read more | |
| Crich Tramway Village Looking For An Engineering Manager The successful candidate for this post will have excellent management skills gained whilst working in a practical workshop e read more | |
