The fraudsters have been demanding bank information, and left people in distress after questioning whether they had considered suicide because of their debt, when they did not provide the information.
A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: “These criminals are pretending to be from a debt recovery on behalf of an energy company, calling from 01227 933417, in an attempt to defraud people and scam them into transferring money, or sharing PIN information.
“When this doesn’t work, the caller is asking the victim if they have considered suicide because of the debt. This has been highly distressing for victims.”
To protect themselves from fraud, police are advising people to never give PIN or bank details over the phone, never transfer money out of an account for fraud reasons, contact their network provider to make them aware of the scam, and block the caller and phone number.
The spokesperson said: “We would like to reassure our communities that we are investigating these crimes and want to hear from anyone who has been contacted this way.
“If the crime is still in progress because, for example, you have recently provided bank details, handed over cards or cash, you are going to visit your bank, or the caller has arranged for someone to visit your address to collect items, you should call the police on 999.
“You can also report crime online at www.westmercia.police.uk/ro/report/, or by calling 101.”
Helplines:
The Herefordshire and Worcestershire 24-hour urgent mental health helpline is available to anyone needing urgent mental health support. It’s free to call and open 24 hours a day to people of all ages – 0808 196 9127.
Worcestershire Safe Haven provides telephone support and face-to-face appointments to Worcestershire residents who are experiencing a mental health crisis. Call 01905 600400 any day of the week between 6pm and midnight for support and signposting.
Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours.