Telephone fraudsters target Tonbridge pensioners

Tonbridge residents are reminded to be vigilant after phone fraudsters posing as police officers made attempts to trick pensioners into revealing their bank details.

On Friday 18 November 2022, three older people living in the town centre area were contacted by a person, who falsely claimed they worked for the Metropolitan Police.

Two victims were told someone had been arrested trying to use a cloned bank card in their name and the third was advised a criminal was trying to use a cloned card in a jeweller in London.

Suspicions

All became suspicious, refused to pass any bank details over the phone and terminated the calls.

A fourth pensioner was called on Monday 21 November by a criminal with a similar account, saying a person was in custody at Hammersmith police station. Once again, the victim was alert to the attempted fraud and ended the call.

Detective Chief Inspector Rik Spicer said: ‘These conmen will often try and alarm you by saying there has been fraudulent activity on your bank account, or they have arrested someone using a cloned card in your name.
'In these cases, the victims correctly became suspicious, and the calls were ended before any information was passed to the fraudsters. A police force will never ask a member of the public for their bank details or money over the phone, and if you receive one of these calls I would advise you hang up immediately.'

Further advice

If you are not confident a person claiming to be a police officer is genuine, ask to take their details and then end the call.

Wait for at least five minutes for the call to clear and then contact 101, or 999 in an emergency. A call handler will be able to verify whether your caller was genuine.

Never hand over any money, or other items, to a courier after receiving this type of call.

Can you help?

Anybody with information regarding these incidents is urged to call Kent Police on 01622 604100, quoting reference 20-1077.

You can also contact Action Fraud on 0300 1232040, or report suspicious activity online by visiting their website.

The matter can also be reported to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111 or by using the online form on their website.