Warning issued following reports of police impersonation fraud

Canterbury residents are reminded to be vigilant following multiple attempts to steal cash by criminals posing as police officers on the phone.

Between Saturday 27 September and Tuesday 30 September, three members of the public have reported receiving phone calls from people claiming to be ‘officers from Hammersmith Police’ or from the ‘fraud department’. Victims were falsely informed that their bank accounts had been compromised and were instructed to withdraw large sums of cash or purchase expensive items. These were then collected by a courier, who was pretending to be part of a legitimate police investigation.

One individual was defrauded of more than £23,000 over a three-day period, handing over cash to a courier outside of their home, believing it was part of an official operation.

At 2.49pm on Tuesday 30 September, officers arrested a 19 year old man on suspicion of fraud by false representation. He has been released on bail whilst enquiries continue. 

Advice

If you are not confident a person who calls you claiming to be a police officer is genuine, ask to take their details and 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.

Anybody with information relating to these incidents is urged to call the appeals line on 01843 222289 quoting reference 30-0533

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