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News  »  Watch out for new ?number spoofing? scam



   Watch out for new ?number spoofing? scam    5 February, 2015

The police have issued reports of a new scam being increasingly used by fraudsters, in which they make the people they are phoning believe they are speaking to a trusted organisation by fooling their phones into displaying any number they choose. The scam, known as ‘number spoofing’, works by fraudsters cloning the telephone number of the organisation they want to impersonate and then making it appear on the victim’s caller ID display when they telephone them on a landline. The fraudsters then gain the person’s trust by highlighting the number to them, claiming that this is proof of their identity, before trying to scam them in various ways.

This scam is a new variation on a type of telephone fraud in which fraudsters call people and pose as bank staff, police officers or other trusted organisations to persuade their victim to part with financial and personal details. Once criminals have their victim’s confidence they will try to extract information such as the victim’s PIN, online passwords or other sensitive information which will then be used to steal from their bank account. 

The advice to beat the scam is simple – never assume that someone is who they say they are just because their number matches that of an organisation you know. In fact, if someone tries to draw your attention to the number on your caller ID display, you should immediately become suspicious. Be cautious and, if in doubt, hang up.

To report a fraud and receive a police crime reference number, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk.

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