Kent Fraud Alert System - URGENT Courier Fraud Alert

Over the last few days, Kent Police have received several reports of Courier Fraud, a type of police impersonation scam, across the Swale area. It is highly likely the fraudsters may begin to target other areas of Kent, so please be alert!

Residents of Swale have reported receiving a call to their landline from a criminal impersonating a police officer. The criminals claim to work for Kent police or Met police.

The names reported as being used in this current scam are, DC/PC Matthew Riley, DC/PC James Maddison, DC/PC James Matterson, DCI Alex Smith, DC John Jones, DC Daniel Williamson, DC Andrew Davis, DC James Atkins, DC Michael Palmer.

However, criminals can use any names and/or say they are calling from specific police stations.

If you receive a call like this, it is a SCAM!

The criminal might be able to confirm some basic details about you such as your full name and address. They may claim there is an issue with your bank account, your bank card has been cloned, they have someone in custody and request your assistance with an ongoing investigation. The aim of this call is to convince you intro withdrawing large sums of cash, purchasing gift cards or foreign currency or giving over your bank card. The criminal will say an undercover officer will attend the address to collect the items or cash.

The criminal may also ask you to lie to the bank staff as they may 'be in on it' and tell you to lie about what the money is for.

The police will NEVER ask you for financial details, request you to withdraw cash or purchase gift cards, foreign currency or high value goods, and police will NEVER ask you to lie.

Protect yourself from fraud with the ABC of fraud:

• Never ASSUME - Never assume a caller is genuine. Criminals may know basic information about you.

• Never BELIEVE - Never believe a caller is genuine - scammers can 'spoof' official telephone numbers, so the call display may show as an official number such as the police or bank's telephone number, but it does not mean it is a genuine call.

• Always CONFIRM - Always confirm if the call is genuine - Ask the caller for their name and badge number. Tell the caller you will hang up and call back to confirm.

To ensure the criminals are still not on the line, use an alternative phone and call police on 101 and ask if it was a genuine call.

If you do not have another phone to hand, call a trusted friend or family member first, to ensure the line is cleared, or you can unplug the landline, wait for 10 minutes, and then call police to confirm.

If a courier arrives at your property ring 999.

If this has happened to you, report it to Kent Police on 101. If you have provided financial information or made payment, contact your bank as soon as possible by calling 159.

For further information about Fraud, visit our website at Advice About Fraud | Kent Police.

You will also find valuable information from the Home Office at Stop! Think Fraud - How to stay safe from scams.

How can the ECRC support?

By joining the ECRC as a free member, your organisation will be supported in making the small changes that make the biggest difference when it comes to cyber resilience. Becoming a free member means you will receive the latest cyber resilience guidance via email, which will drip feed you ways in which you can improve your cyber resilience without costing any money.

The ECRC website also contains several links to helpful National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) resources, which are all free, up-to-date, and easy to use. Tools such as Exercise in a Box and the NCSC Cyber Action Plan are particularly useful in terms of identifying areas where you could improve your cybersecurity. They also have many informative guides that are sector specific, which will give you useful and detailed information.

If you would like more information about how the ECRC can help your organisation specifically, please book a chat with us today!

Reporting a live cyber-attack 24/7:

If you are a business, charity or other organisation which is currently suffering a live cyber-attack (in progress) please call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 immediately. This service is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Reporting a cyber-attack which is not ongoing:

Please report online to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. You can report cybercrime online at any time using the online reporting tool, which will guide you through simple questions to identify what has happened. Action Fraud advisors can also provide the help, support, and advice you need.

Alternatively, you can call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 (textphone 0300 123 2050).