Warning after fraudsters impersonate South Yorkshire Police officers in a gift card arrest scam
"Victims are often coerced into compliance through threats of arrests, deportation or financial penalties”
Residents are being warned not to fall foul of a new a gift card scam that has seen fraudsters impersonate South Yorkshire Police officers.
South Yorkshire Police (SYP) say fraudsters have been carrying out the scam through phone calls.
A force spokesperson said: “The caller is wrongly stating that a warrant is out for an arrest, and that you would need to buy a gift card to prevent an arrest taking place.
“Our officers would only contact you when they have a legitimate reason to do so, such as informing you about a crime you have reported or to ask for information relating to a crime.
“They will never ask for money, gift cards, or other means of payment.”
Fraud Protect Officer Nicki Robertson added: “We are working closely with the force who alerted us to this scam to prevent it from continuing.
"There have been 35 reports of this happening nationally and we are keen to raise awareness to prevent people falling foul of this in South Yorkshire.
"Common tactics fraudsters use is to claim that your national insurance number or bank account has been compromised followed by a demand for payment via bank transfer, gifts cards or cryptocurrency.
"Victims are often coerced into compliance through threats of arrests, deportation or financial penalties.
"They may use a spoofed phone number to impersonate legitimate organisations and may use WhatsApp and other social media platforms to communicate and provide payment instructions.
"Financial losses range from hundreds to thousands of pounds, and we have seen some victims able to successfully block transactions after becoming suspicious.
"If you think you have been a victim to this scam, or have a phone call from someone claiming they work for South Yorkshire Police and something doesn't seem right, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself.
"If you are on the phone, hang up and report the phone call to us or Report Fraud. You should also alert your bank so any suspicious activity on your accounts can be monitored and report the phone call to us."
"When you are reporting scams, if you are using the same phone you received the call on, wait 20 minutes for the line to clear as sometimes fraudsters keep the lines open.
"If you are able to, use an alternative phone to report it to us or Report Fraud."