The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is urging the public to exercise extreme caution following reports of criminals spoofing the force’s official switchboard number to conduct telephone scams. According to The Register, the fraudulent activity involves callers posing as police officers to trick victims into revealing sensitive financial data.
In a recent incident reported on Monday, a target received a call from a number appearing to be the PSNI switchboard. The caller claimed the recipient was under investigation for money transfers involving countries associated with narcotics trafficking. The scammer then moved to extract financial information from the victim.
Inspector Walker of the PSNI stated that the caller attempted to coerce the target into purchasing gift cards. The criminals claimed these cards were a mandatory part of the investigative process and promised that the funds would eventually be returned to the victim.
“The caller told the person there was an investigation linked to their name involving money transfers to narcotic-related countries and was subsequently asked to provide information about their bank cards,” Inspector Walker said. “The caller then asked them to purchase gift cards and send across the codes for those, stating that this was part of the investigation process.”
The intended victim became suspicious of the request and disconnected the call without sharing any personal or banking details. Authorities have since confirmed that the official police phone number was spoofed, and no actual representative of the force was involved in the call.
Escalating fraud risks in Northern Ireland
This incident is the second major fraud warning issued by the PSNI in as many days. The force recently highlighted a separate case involving an elderly victim who lost over £250,000 to a sophisticated cryptocurrency scheme. In that instance, criminals gained remote access to the victim's electronic devices after instructing her to download malware.
Detective Inspector Moffett of the PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch noted that the fraudsters convinced the victim to increase her "investments" under the guise of recovering her initial capital. This trend aligns with broader global data, as the FBI recently reported a 48 percent increase in complaints related to cryptocurrency investment scams over the past year.
To protect against such threats, the PSNI has reiterated its standard security advice. “Our advice is that you should never disclose your personal or financial details over the phone, in person, or by email, to someone you don't know,” Inspector Walker said. “Guarding your personal and banking details is essential.”
While the PSNI continues to investigate the spoofing reports, no arrests have been made to date. Residents in the UK who suspect they have been targeted by digital fraud are encouraged to contact their bank, the police, and Action Fraud for assistance.
