Weekly Fraud Update from West Mercia Police - Economic Crime Unit - 22/06/2026

There has been a significant rise recently of cold callers phoning residents and claiming to be Police Officers. This not only applies to West Mercia area but nationally as well.

One of the more common identities claims to be a Detective from Holborn Police Station in London though they very often mispronounce the word “Holborn”.

Fraudsters impersonate the police to scare you into action by pretending to be a voice of authority.

“You have been a victim of fraud” - some Fraudsters will tell you that they are contacting you due to a fraud investigation where you are the victim. They may say they have found a counterfeit item, such as a passport, with your name on it. Other times, they will say that there has been unauthorised use of your bank account or your credit card. You are then asked to provide your details to confirm that it was your card that was stolen.

After the fraudster receives the details, they will use them to withdraw money from the victims’ accounts.

In some cases, they may use the storyline that they are investigating a fraudulent member of the bank staff and ask you to withdraw a sum of money in notes from your bank for someone to come round and collect. Ignore such requests and put the phone down.

They may then tell you to dial “999” to check their identities but as they are able to keep the line open, you are still speaking to the same person or one of their partners.

Police officers will never contact you out of the blue and request personal or financial information. If an officer contacts you in person then they will show you their Warrant Card first.

Similarly, before contacting your bank to report the fraud, wait at least ten minutes to ensure the line is clear. You can also clear the line by calling a friend or family member or by using a different phone than the one on which you were contacted.

However, if you have accidentally shared your bank details or handed over your card to a courier, call your bank immediately. You can reach your bank’s fraud department directly by dialling 159.

Please feel free to share these messages with any vulnerable friends, relatives or neighbours

If you have fallen for a fraud,

Report it to Report Fraud (formerly known as ACTION FRAUD) on 0300 123 2040 or via reportfraud.police.uk

Scam Text messages can be forwarded to 7726 to help phone providers take early action and block numbers that generate spam on their networks. You can also report Scam mobile calls by texting 7726 with the word “Call” followed by the fraudulent caller’s phone number.

Forward Fake Emails received to report@phishing.gov.uk

If you think your bank account or personal banking details have been used fraudulently, then use the short phone number - 159 - to contact the Fraud Prevention Department of most major UK banks.

City of London Police is urging the public to be sure of who they are talking to following a spike in reports of calls from ‘spoofed’ phone numbers.

Criminals use ‘spoofing’ software to intentionally cover up their real caller ID and instead, mirror the phone number of a legitimate organisation. They do this to make it appear that calls or text messages are coming from a trusted organisation like the police, banks or government agencies.

These scam calls may be automated, or from a real person. Their main goal is to trick you into sharing personal information or to transfer money.

This week, the City of London Police launched its courier fraud campaign to raise awareness of this type of fraud as it evolves across the UK, with criminals using increasingly sophisticated and persistent tactics.

Courier fraud typically begins with an unexpected phone call from someone claiming to be a police officer or bank employee. Victims are told their account is at risk or that they are assisting with an investigation, before being instructed to withdraw money, purchase items, or disclose sensitive information. A courier is then sent to collect the items such as jewellery, cash, bank cards and PINs. In reality, this is the work of criminals, and anything handed over is lost.

Report a suspicious phone call

If you've lost money or have been hacked as a result of responding to a phishing message or scam call, you should report it to Report Fraud.

In England, Wales or Northern Ireland, visit https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/ or call 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland by calling 101.

You should also report suspected scam calls by sending a text to 7726 with the word ‘Call’ and the caller's number.

If you’ve shared personal information with a suspicious caller

Learn how to protect yourself if you think you’ve shared personal information.
If you’ve visited a website you think is suspicious, you can report a scam website or link to us.