Action Fraud are aware of a couple of phone scams currently operating featuring national insurance numbers.
Over the past few days they have received contact from residents reporting a phone scam where fraudsters are quoting a correct national insurance number and then attempting to gain payment for money “owed to the police”.
Reports indicate the fraudsters are referencing Longton Police Station in Stoke-on-Trent and mentioning that a warrant for arrest has been issued as the resident owes the police money.
In another phone scam an automated message informs the resident that their national insurance number has been “compromised” and in order to fix this they are asked to press 1 on their handset. On pressing 1 the resident is tricked into sharing personal information which can be used to commit identity fraud.
These calls are both scams and if you receive a call like this please put the phone down and report it.
It is important to remember:
- The police will never ask you to move or present cash.
- Banks will never ask for your full personal and account details – don’t share pin numbers and passwords.
- If you are unsure, take five minutes out to verify the story and call a trusted source to check.
- Fraudsters can sometimes stay on your line to prevent you calling out so use a different phone to check details or report fraud.
For more information on scams, or to report fraud, visit the Action Fraud website www.actionfraud.police.uk
