People across the country are being urged to look out for a text message from the police over the next 48 hours.
Normally, noticing a text from someone saying they are the police would set alarm bells off, with scams so common nowadays. However, during the next couple of days, people throughout the UK are being warned not to ignore the messages from the Metropolitan Police.
The force are sending out the texts to help them crackdown on fraudsters, with 70,000 expected to receive a message over the next 48 hours.
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It comes amid as police look to reduce the number of so called 'number spoofing' scams. This is when scammers change their called ID in a bid to hide their identity. The messages then come through with a display name appearing to be legitimate organisation - such as a bank, reports The Mirror.
It is thought up to 200,000 people in the UK were conned out of £50million by criminals using a website called iSpoof.
Scammers are believed t have paid a subscription to iSpoof in order to use the technology to trick victims into believing messages were coming from someone else. Shockingly, the website say as many as 20 people per minute targeted. One victim lost £3million and the average loss among the 4,785 people who have reported being targeted to Action Fraud is £10,000.
Thirty five cent of the fraudulent calls made made in the UK, with 40 per cent coming from the United States and the remainder spread across a number of different countries.
Ispoof was created in December 2020 and at its peak had 59,000 users, allowing them to pay for the criminal software using Bitcoin, with charges ranging from £150 to £5,000 per month. The website has since been shut down and so far 120 arrests have been made.
Detective Superintendent Helen Rance, who leads on cyber crime for the Met, said: "By taking down iSpoof we have prevented further offences and stopped fraudsters targeting future victims. Our message to criminals who have used this website is we have your details and are working hard to locate you, regardless of where you are."
How to tell if you've received a genuine text from the Met Police
The Met is only texting potential scam victims today and tomorrow (November 24 and 25). If you receive a message outside of this 48-hour window, it could be a scam - so act with caution.
The message will ask you to visit the Met Police website at met.police.uk/elaborate - but the message will not include a direct link.
Instead, you'll need to manually type in the address yourself on a search browser. The Met is contacting people UK-wide - not just those living in London.
If you think you've been called by a scammer, never reveal your personal details. Hang up immediately and search for the contact details online of the place you're supposedly being called from. Call up the company or bank with the number you found yourself to check if the call was legitimate.
Never call back the number provided by the caller. You should also call the 159 hotline and report the scam to Action Fraud.
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