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Police are warning people to be on their guard against fraudsters and are encouraging all neighbours, family members, friends and carers to look after their loved-ones and report any suspicious behaviour or incidents to the police.

The police have received a report that a woman in Northumberland had been contacted by telephone by a man claiming to be a Metropolitan Police officer.

The caller convinced the woman over the phone to transfer large amounts of money from her own bank account to a so called 'police account' which he claimed was for safe keeping.

A genuine police officer would never contact a member of the public in this way and ask them to transfer cash.  

Anyone who receives such a call should put the phone down immediately and contact the police straightaway, preferably using another phone.

This is a scam affecting residents on a national level and involves fraudsters intercepting phone lines, holding open lines and posing as other police forces and bank authorities to con residents out of money.

1. Always be on your guard if you receive a cold call and are asked for personal or financial information, or to hand over your card or cash to someone.
2. The bank or the police will never tell you to take such actions, so if you're asked it can only be a criminal attack.
3. Fraudsters may ask consumers to hang up and phone back, in a bid to win confidence. But this is a trick where the receiver is not put down at their end, leaving the line open, allowing the fraudster to simply restart the conservation when the consumer thinks a new call has been made.
4. If suspicious, wait a full five minutes before attempting to make a call. After five minutes has passed, try to call a friend or family member first to make sure the line is free, or use a second phone where available.
5. Never give out your four-digit PIN over the phone, even if you believe you are talking to a genuine police officer or bank personnel.

If you receive a call asking for personal or financial information, don't be afraid to tell the caller you will call the police to verify their identity. A genuine caller will not mind waiting while you carry out security checks with the police.

For more information

If you have any information about bogus callers contact the Police on 101 or contact anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If you believe a crime is in progress, please call 999 immediately.

For information on any recent incidents, please see our Trading Standards News page or follow #OpStrongbow.