HOW TO CHECK YOU ARE SPEAKING WITH US

Criminals often pretend to be someone else to scam you, trying to trick people into sending money, or giving away sensitive information.
This page explains:

How to verify contact

How to spot common scams

What to do if you think you’ve been scammed

CONTACT BY PHONE

Staff may contact you by phone

However, we will never:

Ask for your bank details or PIN

Request you transfer funds to another account

Ask you to hand over cash or bank cards

Ask you to pay a fine

Request passwords or logon details so they can access your computer (or for any other reason)

Ask you to provide personal details in an email attachment, or on a website

Ask you to assist in an investigation by doing any of the above (or state that you are committing a crime by not complying)

Communicate in an abusive, threatening, or coercive manner

If you do receive a call of this nature, hang up, and report it.

Report here

CONTACT BY EMAIL

Staff may contact you by email

Emails are sent from addresses ending @police.uk, which is an official police-only domain

However, we will never:

Ask for remote access to your computer

Send unsolicited emails with attached files (especially .zip or Microsoft Office files)

Ask you for any login details (including passwords)

Direct you to third party organisations to verify the identity of CRC staff

If you believe you have received a suspicious email, report it.

Report here

CONTACT BY SMS OR WHATSAPP

We will never:

We will never contact you by text message, WhatsApp, or other instant messaging service.

If you receive a message claiming to be from us, report it.

Report here

HOW TO VERIFY CONTACT

The current team are on the meet the team page.

You can check using the non-urgent police number 101.

HOW TO SPOT SCAM MESSAGES

It used to be easier to spot scams. They would often contain bad spelling or grammar, come from an unusual email address, or feature imagery or design that feels ‘off’. Scams are getting smarter and some even fool the experts, take a quick look at this guidance to help you spot and report suspicious messages, emails, web sites and phone calls.

Scammers try to quickly gain your trust

They aim to pressure you into acting without thinking. If a message or call makes you suspicious, stop, and break the contact

Banks Won’t Ask for Details

Your bank (or any other official source) will never ask you to supply personal information via email, or call and ask you to confirm your bank account details

Verify Directly

If you suspect someone is not who they claim to be, hang up and contact the organisation directly (for example using their official website)

Call 159

Just like 101 is for the Police or 111 is for the NHS, dialling 159 connects you to your bank swiftly and safely.

Report Here

IF YOU’VE LOST MONEY, OR BEEN HACKED

Report It

Immediately If you think you may have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime, whether that’s from visiting a website, responding to an email, or a text message, report it

England, Wales & Northern Ireland

If you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you can report it to Report Fraud at https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/ or by calling 0300 123 2040

Scotland

If you live in Scotland, you can report it to Police Scotland by calling 101

WHAT’S NEXT?

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HOW TO CHECK YOU ARE SPEAKING WITH US