An elderly woman has lost more than £20,000 after fraudsters pretended to be Gloucestershire police officers, prompting a warning to residents in Stroud and across the county.
Gloucestershire Constabulary said the woman was contacted by scammers claiming to work in the force’s fraud department. She was kept on the phone for seven hours on one day and nine hours on another while being persuaded to hand over money.
The warning was issued on October 6, 2026, following continued reports of criminals impersonating police officers. The force is urging people to remain vigilant and to speak to elderly or vulnerable relatives and friends about how the scam works.
How the police impersonation scam works
According to police, the fraudsters used spoofed telephone numbers which appeared online to belong to either Hester’s Way Police Station in Cheltenham or Bearlands Police Station in Gloucester.
The scammers also supplied a bogus collar number. They told the woman that someone had been arrested and that her documentation had been stored on a laptop, using the claim as part of their attempt to convince her to transfer money.
Police said similar incidents had previously been reported after police forces around the country contacted the Force Control Room about criminals claiming to be Gloucestershire officers.
Fraudsters can be highly manipulative, police warned. Victims may be told not to discuss the call with friends or family because they are supposedly helping with an investigation. Police said that knowing basic information such as a person’s name, address or date of birth does not prove that a caller is a genuine police employee.
What genuine officers will not ask you to do
Gloucestershire Constabulary said officers will never ask people to provide bank details or a PIN, transfer money to another account, or hand cash or bank cards to a courier.
They will also not ask people to pay a fine or fee over the phone or online, provide access to a computer, passwords or login details, or submit personal details through an attachment or website.
Police said officers will not ask someone to assist with an investigation by carrying out any of those actions, tell them they are committing a crime if they refuse, or communicate in an abusive, threatening or coercive way.
What to do if you receive a suspicious call
Anyone unsure whether they are speaking to a genuine officer should end the call and contact police by dialling 101 to check the caller’s identity.
If the suspected fraudster made the call, police advise hanging up and waiting at least five minutes before contacting the force. Criminals have been known to keep the telephone line open after a victim hangs up, meaning a person may believe they have made a new call when they are still connected to the scammer.
People who only have access to the same phone line are advised to wait at least 10 minutes and call a family member or friend first to check that the scammer is no longer connected.
Suspicious calls should be reported to Report Fraud or the police. Further advice is available through Gloucestershire Constabulary’s fraud advice service and Report Fraud.
