Warning After Scammers Spoof OPCC Phone Number To Steal Thousands

A warning has been issued after fraudsters used the phone number of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) to scam people out of thousands of pounds.

Leicestershire Police say that since the start of the year they have received six reports from people who were contacted by someone claiming to be from the police or HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), with the calls appearing to come from the OPCC number 0116 229 8980.

Officers stress the incidents are not connected to anyone working at the OPCC. Instead, scammers are believed to be using specialist software to make calls appear as though they are coming from legitimate phone numbers.

File pic by Engin Akyurt

In the reported cases, victims were accused of being involved in criminal activity or warned their bank accounts were at risk, before being persuaded to transfer money or buy high-value gift cards. In the most recent incident, a victim lost £6,100 before realising it was a scam. Across all six reports, losses total more than £30,000.

Police are now investigating and carrying out enquiries to identify those responsible.

Detective staff are reminding the public that police, banks or government agencies will never ask for money, gift cards, passwords or PIN numbers, or pressure people into urgent financial transactions.

Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews said he was “dismayed” residents were being targeted by criminals impersonating trusted organisations and urged people to remain vigilant.

Anyone who receives a suspicious call is advised to hang up, wait five minutes or use a different phone, and then contact the organisation directly using an official number — or call police on 101.