My Community Voice - Latest Scam

As a member of the local community, I would like to make you aware of a current scam occurring across the Thanet area. Reports to Kent Police of this type of fraud have increased locally, so this is a great opportunity for us to keep you as informed as possible regarding its use.

The fraud relies upon the caller identifying themselves as a police officer, recent examples seem to report the caller as from a London police station. The fraudster will most likely state that a cloned credit or debit card has been located in the property of a prisoner in custody. The fraudster will usually ask for the bank account details which they will then use to carry out the fraud.

The fraudster may offer you the opportunity to call 999 to verify their identity. If this occurs, hang up the phone, wait for several minutes or use a different phone and call the Police to verify the identity of the caller. It is likely if you call 999 as per the request of the fraudster that you will be speaking to people involved in the fraud as they do not clear the line.

The Police will never ask you for your bank details. Do not provide them. If you are in any doubt, end the conversation and hang up the phone immediately. Following this please contact the Police and Action Fraud to report your experience.