by Lorraine Gibson.

Every year, we lose billions of pounds to fraudsters. With scams ranging from the simplest con trick to the most sophisticated high-tech online fraud, it pays to be as wary as possible.
One of the most frequent methods of fraud that people worry about is that of the fake phone-caller claiming to be someone they are not, including going as far as impersonating a police officer.
Thankfully the latter is fairly rare, but there have been occasions when fraudsters have posed as police officers to trick people into divulging personal information that allows them to defraud them of money.
Dorset Police has this advice to help you avoid such a scenario: “If you’re on the phone to someone who called you but you have doubts about them, we recommend that you hang up and wait five minutes before you call us.
“There have been cases of fraudsters keeping the line open after a victim has hung up. Leaving several minutes between calls will make sure that the call has closed.”
For investigative purposes the police may get in touch in person.
Here is how legitimate officers would do so:
By phone or by email. Whichever method they use, they will identify themselves clearly as an officer and tell you why they’re contacting you.

They will never:
Ask you for your bank details or PIN
Ask you to transfer funds to another account
Ask you to hand over cash or bank cards to a courier
Ask you to pay a fine or a fee to them or a third party over the phone or online
Ask you for access to your computer, passwords or log on details over the phone or online
Ask you to register personal details in an attachment or website online
Ask you to ‘assist’ in an investigation by doing any of the above
State that you are committing a crime by not complying
Communicate in an abusive, threatening or coercive manner.
If they contact you by email, they will not:
Ask for remote access to your computer
Ask you to click on a hyperlink to participate in an investigation
Send you unsolicited emails with attached files, especially zip or macro-enabled Microsoft Office files
Ask you for any login credentials or passwords
Remember if you’re unsure about whether the person you’re dealing with is a genuine police officer, just stop the conversation and call the police on 101 to check.
If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud either at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling: 0300 123 2040.