Please see the latest information/advice released from our Fraud Office:

Criminals are experts at impersonating people, organisations and the police. They spend hours researching you hoping you’ll let your guard down for just a moment.

They can contact you by phone, email, text, on social media, or in person. They will try to trick you into parting with your money, personal information, or buying goods or services that don’t exist.

If you are approached unexpectedly remember to:

• Stop: Taking a moment to think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.

• Challenge: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
• Protect: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen victim to a scam and report it to Action Fraud.
• You can also report suspicious texts by forwarding the original message to 7726, which spells SPAM on your keypad.
• The police, or your bank, will never ask you to withdraw money or transfer it to a different account. They will also never ask you to reveal your full banking password or PIN.
• Do not click on links or attachments in unexpected or suspicious texts or emails.
• Confirm requests are genuine by using a known number or email address to contact organisations directly.

To keep yourself secure online, ensure you are using the latest software, apps and operating systems on your phones, tablets and laptops. Update these regularly or set your devices to automatically update so you don’t have to worry.

Reporting to Action Fraud can be carried out online at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. If you have Twitter, you can follow Action Fraud for up to date information on COVID-19 fraud on @actionfrauduk.