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A scam had emerged in recent weeks in Derby, in which victims had received calls from someone purporting to be a police officer.

A man claiming to be a DC Matthew Phillips had telephoned people, telling them about fraudulent activity on their bank account and that they needed to withdraw cash and meet someone to hand the money over.

In one such case, on April 27, a 72-year-old man was scammed out of several thousand pounds.

Reports of this scam had risen over the last fortnight.

Yesterday a 33-year-old man from Burton-Upon-Trent was arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation. He has since been released under investigation pending further enquiries.

Derbyshire Police have advised that, if you receive such a call, you should not give out any personal information and hang up the call immediately.

The police will never contact you asking for banking information or request that you withdraw money from an account, purchase gold bullion or high-value jewellery to aid an investigation.

Fraudsters often target geographical areas where they know elderly or vulnerable people live, so officers are asking residents to make any vulnerable family or friends aware of this scam.

If you, or someone you know, receives a call of this nature, contact the police as soon as possible. They will then assess the area that is being targeted, alert the banks and endeavour to protect other local residents to prevent any financial loss.

Should you receive one of these calls, we advise you to end the call, wait five minutes and ensure you can hear a dial tone before calling 101. To call your bank, use the number found on the back of your card. All incidents of this nature also need to be reported to Action Fraud by calling 0300 120 2040 or online.

You can contact Derbyshire Police via the following methods:

Facebook – send a private message to /DerbyshireConstabulary

Twitter – direct message the force’s contact centre on @DerPolContact

Website – complete the online contact form

Phone – call 101

You can also anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

If you are deaf or hard of hearing you can also text 07800 002414 or email Derbyshire Police at [email protected]

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