“Hello Mum. I am using this phone as mine is broken.”

An incident was reported to us on Thursday 29 January, alleging a phone scam fraud, resulting in a large amount of money being handed over to individuals impersonating the victim’s family member.

A 40-year-old male has been arrested in connection to this and investigations are ongoing. He remains in police custody.

We continue to warn our communities about scam calls and messages – fraudsters posing as family members, police officers, or bank workers to convince the caller to withdraw thousands.

“Hello Mum. I am using this phone as mine is broken.” - This is a typical start to a scam message from an unknown number.

Alternatively, they may start with something like “Hi, it’s Emma…” or another common name that may be shared with your friend or relative. It is likely by chance rather than design that you happen to know someone of that name.

They will say that they are messaging from a new mobile number as their phone was lost, damaged or stolen and will go on to ask for money. They may give the reason of purchasing a new phone or claim that they need money urgently to pay a bill.

How to stay safe:

-ALWAYS verify requests in person or verbally to ensure you are speaking to the person that you think you are.
-If you receive a message like this, try contacting your loved one by calling the number you already have for them.  

We know what not everyone has access to these messages, and we are trying the share the message in as many ways as possible, and for this, we are asking for your help: please check on senior relatives, friends or neighbours, or others who might be vulnerable to scammers, and warn them about the potential threat of scam calls.