NSW Police have issued an urgent warning about a phone scam with callers purporting to be members of the NSW Police Force.
“We’ve had several reports of scammers calling people from what appear to be trusted NSW Police Force numbers and threatening the call recipients with fines or arrest,” NSW Police said in a statement.
“These scammers are using technology to make it appear that the calls originate from legitimate police phone numbers; a practice known as ID spoofing.
“The caller impersonates a NSW Police Force officer and states that the person receiving the call has an outstanding fine or warrant.
“The scammer demands a form of payment to prevent arrest or further court action.”
NSW Police said members would never call a member of the public and demand payment over the phone in order to avoid going to court or being arrested.
“If you get an unexpected call from someone who states they’re from the police, and starts asking for personal details or threatens you, please hang up.”
“If you’re concerned, you can always verify by contacting your local police or the Police Assistance Line directly on 131 444.”
To find out more information about scams, or to find out other ways to protect yourself, visit www.scamwatch.gov.au.
If you have been the victim of a scam, you can report it to local police or to the ACCC online at the ‘SCAMwatch report a scam’ page.
