Hertfordshire Constabulary issued an urgent warning on 26 February 2026 to residents in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, about criminals pretending to be police officers. These fraudsters call households and use elaborate stories to trick people into giving away their personal information or money.
The scammers often claim to be part of an undercover investigation into fake banknotes at local bank branches. They pressure victims to withdraw large amounts of cash for fingerprint analysis or tell them to buy expensive items like laptops and watches to help with a criminal probe.
According to Simon Jackman (Supervisor PCSO), a crime prevention advisor for the Herts Connected messaging system, real police officers or bank staff will never ask for a bank PIN or request that you move money to a safe account. Legitimate organisations will also never ask you to buy items or withdraw cash on their behalf.
Residents are advised to check the identity of any suspicious caller by hanging up and calling the non-emergency 101 number from a different phone line. This ensures the scammers have not kept the original line open to intercept the next call. The police suggest asking for a crime reference number and the name of the force to help confirm if the call is real.
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