Report by Duncan Williams for Pulman's Weekly News
People across Devon are being warned to beware of fraudsters posing as police officers and using spoofed telephone numbers to make their calls appear genuine.
The scammers claim to be assisting with a criminal investigation and attempt to persuade people to disclose sensitive personal or financial information. In some cases, they have also supplied fake crime reference numbers to make their stories more convincing.
Devon and Cornwall Police said fraudsters could be persuasive and demanding, with victims sometimes instructed not to tell friends or family because they are supposedly helping with an investigation.
Dan Thorogood, head of contact services for Devon and Cornwall Police, warned people not to assume a call was genuine simply because the number displayed on their phone appeared to belong to the police.
“Fraudsters can be very convincing as well as persuasive and demanding,” he said.
“Victims are often told to not tell their friends…
