Feb 1 - Fraudster posing as a City Police officer
Members of the public should be on the lookout for emails sent by somone fraudulently claiming to be a City of London Police officer.
The City of London Police has received reports of people being contacted byjohnbruce@londoncitypolice.org, telling them they have won a £550,000 prize from Global Communications Company payable by banker’s draft.
Recipients who respond to the approach are being asked to send an advance fee of £440 to John Bruce, via Western Union Money Transfer, to cover insurance and postage costs for the banker’s draft.
They are told the transaction is risk-free and guaranteed by London City Police. People are also given a UK mobile phone number.
One indicator the emails are not legitimate is the City of London Police being referred to as the London City Police. Closer examination also shows the fraudster using an out-of-date force logo. DCI John Osibote, from the City of London Police, said:
“This fraudster is trying to use the good name of the force to con people into believing they have won a big prize. Anyone who has received one of these emails should contact us immediately so we can shut his operation down.”
Anyone receiving emails from ‘John Bruce’ or ‘London City Police’ should contact the City of London Police Fraud Desk on 020 7601 6999 or at nfd@cityoflondon.pnn.police.uk
NFIB advice: Treat unsolicited communication (email, telephone and letters) that offer unexpected wealth with extreme suspicion. Before sending any money always seek to verify the details of the correspondence with the organisation that appears to have sent it too you, to do so use contact details from an independent source to contact the organisation, do not use the details they have supplied to you. Fraudsters will impersonate large organisations such as banks, government departments or the police service in an attempt to give their scam credibility.
