Man Reveals Shocking Police Scam That Nearly Cost Him Everything—What You Need to Know Now
Ever gotten a call out of the blue from someone claiming to be the police—and thought, “Wait, something’s fishy here”? Well, you’re not alone. Tom Wickstead, a savvy content creator with a knack for money and investing tips, recently got a chilling late-night ring from a guy who fancied himself ‘Detective Cunnings’ from Bromley Police Station. Spoiler alert: it was a scam so slick it could have graduated with honors from Scam University—A* material, no less. The high-tech trick? These scammers aren’t just winging it; they’re spoofing real police numbers, making them almost impossible to spot at first. So, before you digit-dial back, ever wondered how clever con artists have become at playing dress-up with authority? Let’s dive into Tom’s close call—and why you should be on high alert.
A bloke has urged Brits to be wary after he was targeted by ‘unbelievably good’ scammers posing as the police.
Tom Wickstead shared a video warning people of a sophisticated swindle that he almost fell victim to, which comes as a host of forces across the UK announced a rise in the amount of con artists impersonating cops.
“If these scammers went to scam university, they are A* students,” the content creator said, while outlining the remarkable scale of deception involved.
Tom took to social media to share his cautionary tale after he received an ominous call this week.
He explained that he received a call from a man who introduced himself as ‘Detective Cunnings’, while claiming that he was a member of staff at Bromley Police Station.
Police forces across the country have been warning that fraudsters have been posing as coppers (Getty Stock Image)
The content creator who offers advice on money and investing said: “This was a British guy, very well spoken, can hold small talk very well. It definitely wasn’t AI, because it was too quick.
“While I was on the phone to him, I Googled the number that he called from and it was a legitimate police number, so clearly, they’re spoofing the phone number. Unbelievable.
“If these scammers went to scam university, they are A* students. He then said that my details have been involved in a fraud case and that they’re investigating this.”
According to Tom, the scammer then tried to lull him into a false sense of security by asking him ‘qualifying questions’ for a couple of minutes and chitchatting.
“This is basically just to get me comfortable him,” he continued. “So, things like do I use public Wi-Fi, do I shop online…he even had some small talk, saying that his wife is always shopping online, buying on Amazon.
‘Incredibly convincing’ scam
“After those two minutes of qualifying questions to get me comfortable, he then started to ask if I could confirm my National Insurance number and my bank account details.”
Thankfully, he didn’t hand over any of his personal details before he cottoned onto the fact that something was awry.
But Tom was still left unnerved that the fraudster knew his ‘full name, address and postcode’, leaving him suspecting that he has been involved in some sort of data breach.
“These guys were unbelievably good,” he told his 116,000 Instagram followers. “So if you ever get called by these people, don’t give any information away. It is 100% a scam. Be careful out there.”
Tom ended the call when the ‘incredibly convincing’ fella masquerading as a copper started asking prying questions, and added: “I don’t fall for stuff like this but that was very close.”
Tom warned others not to fall for the ‘incredibly convincing’ scam (Instagram/@tom.wickstead)
Social media users thanked him for the heads up, with one writing: “They’re getting so much more sophisticated with these. Thanks for the warning!”
Another added: “Happened to me and the number came from a real police station.”
And a third commented: “I had exactly this two days ago!”
Police across the UK have issued warnings about this sort of scam in recent days, including Gloucestershire Constabulary, who said it is happening to forces across the country.
Officers believe that criminals are using technology that allows them to imitate the station’s phone number, making the scam even more convincing.
The head of Economic and Cyber Crime, Detective Inspector Marcus McInerney, said that the ‘manipulative’ callers would ‘gladly see you spend your life savings, remortgage your house, take everything and leave you ruined’.
“Nobody from the police will call you and ask you for your bank details, your passwords, your PIN numbers,” he told Brits.
“They will never ask you to hand over funds or transfer funds in any circumstances and they won’t be threatening you that you’re potentially committing a crime by not complying with such an instruction.”
South Yorkshire Police have been receiving similar reports and issued a statement encouraging people to ‘not answer’ strange numbers.
“Do not give your personal or financial details away over the phone,” the force said. “If in doubt, hang up.”
LADbible has contacted the Metropolitan Police for comment in regards to Tom’s claims.
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