Warning over police call scam as victim loses £14k
Devon and Cornwall Police said 12 reports, in the space of a fortnight, had been made from across Devon, with one elderly victim swindled out of £14,000.
According to the force, people have been called by scammers as they are "assisting with an investigation". They are then asked to withdraw significant funds from cash machines.
Residents were targeted in Exeter, Exmouth, Sidbury, Plymouth, Bradninch and Heybrook Bay between 2 and 18 July.
More news stories for Devon
Listen to the latest news for Devon
Sgt Tona Pooley said: "Victims are never to blame.
"These fraudsters can be very persuading and demanding, which unfortunately in this case, has led to some people being scammed out of thousands of pounds.
"If you have been a victim of this scam or to one similar, please report it to the police or to Action Fraud.
"Your information is vital in helping us identify the people who are behind this."
Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.
Related internet links
Devon and Cornwall Police
Action Fraud
Scammers pose as police to target elderly - force
Warning over 'sinister' police phone call scam
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Criminals cash in on TikTok Labubu trend with dangerous fakes
At an anonymous industrial estate on the outskirts of London, a queue of police vans and empty lorries block the usual flow of lunchtime traffic. They are here to seize fake Labubu dolls. Thousands of them. After weeks of work, intelligence that started at a corner shop in south Wales has led Trading Standards officers to a labyrinth of rooms hidden above this retail outlet. Inside, they estimate millions of pounds worth of fake products are piled up, floor to ceiling, but what interests them most are the fluffy, mischievous-looking dolls at the centre of a global TikTok craze. According to Forbes, the popularity of Labubu dolls helped parent company Pop Mart more than double its total revenue to £1.33bn ($1.81bn) last year. They are wanted by children and adults alike, with some telling us they queued for hours or travelled across the country just to secure an authentic one. Adorable or just weird? How Labubu dolls conquered the world Labubu fan fury after dolls pulled from stores However, messages seen by BBC News also suggest scalpers may be buying hundreds of genuine products at a time to resell them at a profit, with authorities reporting a "flood" of counterfeits entering the market. Border Force has seized hundreds of thousands from UK ports in the past few months, meanwhile officers at the London industrial estate believe the dolls grinning up at them from the crates hide a darker secret. "The head comes off. The feet will pull off," explained Rhys Harries from Trading Standards, as one literally falls apart in his hands. Mr Harries first saw dolls like this after raiding a corner shop almost 200 miles away in Swansea, before tracing them back here. "I've found them in the bags where their eyes are coming off, their hands will come off." Mr Harries' team use a plastic tube, shaped like a child's throat, to measure how dangerous objects are - if it fits, it is a choking hazard. "These [parts] will all get stuck and then potentially cause choking," he said. Mum-of-one Jade said she "100%" agreed the fakes were a choking hazard after some fell apart shortly after giving them to her son. The 34-year-old from Caerphilly knew she had bought fakes - sometimes nicknamed Lafufus - for her son Harri's sixth birthday as she could not justify the cost of the authentic dolls. But she felt "obliged to get him one" after all his friends got their own and found knock-offs for just over £10, compared to some genuine ones costing £80. However, just a few hours into Harri's birthday, Jade said the keyring came off, followed by part of one of the feet a few days later. When Harri was swinging his new toy the hook came off the keyring, only for Jade to spot it in his mouth. She said "luckily" her son was old enough to tell her about his toy falling apart, but she warned things could be different for younger children. According to the Intellectual Property Office, the rush by criminals to get fakes to market often results in dangerous materials being used. "Counterfeiting is the second largest source of criminal income worldwide, second only to drug trafficking," said Kate Caffery, deputy director of intelligence and law enforcement. "It's in the interests of these criminal organisations to respond quickly to trends to maximise it, to get on the back of it and make the most money that they possibly can. "So that's why we see it happening so quickly and a complete disregard for safety concerns." Ms Caffery dismissed claims these fakes were made in the same factories or using the same materials as the real thing as "absolutely not true", adding that they "could be made from anything". These range from the inferior to the dangerous, including toxic plastics, chemicals, and small parts that aren't properly attached "that can then pose a chocking hazard". Although fake Labubus are still relatively new to the market, investigators know from previous cases involving counterfeit toys that they can be made with banned chemicals, including some linked to cancers. Authorities say most counterfeit products, including Labubus, can be traced to China, Hong Kong or Turkey and people are being warned to look out for "too good to be true" pricing or packaging that feels cheap and flimsy. TikToker Meg Goldberger, 27, is no stranger to collecting in a market filled with fakes. She has about 250 Jellycat plush toys, alongside her new collection of 12 Labubu dolls. "The more people talked about it and the harder they became to get, the more I needed them. That's why I now have 12," she said. However, pretty early into her search, Ms Goldberger said she realised the odds were stacked against her in her hunt for the real thing. She said she spent about 12 hours over several days waiting for Pop Mart store's TikTok live video, where Labubus are released for sale at a set time, just like gig tickets. "It used to be they sold out within like a minute. It's now like literally two seconds. You can't get your hands on them," she said. Instead, she opted to find someone reselling them online, but also discovered why they may have been selling out so fast. When she asked an eBay reseller for proof the Big Into Energy Labubu series she was interested in was genuine, Ms Goldberger was sent "a screenshot of what could have been like almost 200 orders of Labubus". "These people will sit at home and somehow robots hack the websites and bulk buy them, which is why they go so quickly. Then they'll resell them." Mr Harries said a selection of fake Labubus would be taken from London back to Swansea for use as evidence. The rest will be stored as evidence at a secret location before being either recycled or destroyed. "These were going everywhere," he said. "There were invoice books with them and they were going all across the UK. It's a national issue." Pop Mart has been asked to comment. Labubu firm sees profit soaring by at least 350% 'I was a shopping addict - it needs to be taken more seriously' Found on celebrity bags and in viral videos: The toy fashionistas are loving
CBS News
26 minutes ago
- CBS News
Death investigation underway after body recovered from water in River Park, police say
Chicago police are investigating after a body was recovered from the water Saturday afternoon on the city's Northwest Side. They said just before 2 p.m., the victim's body, only described as a man, was found unresponsive and floating in the water. The Marine Unit recovered the body, and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said Area 2 detectives are conducting a death investigation. No further information was immediately available. This is a developing story. CBS News Chicago will continue to update as information becomes available.
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nine arrests as protesters clash outside Islington asylum hotel
Nine people have been arrested after protests erupted outside a hotel in north London as rival groups faced off over its continued use to accommodate asylum seekers. Police were forced to intervene after brief clashes broke out between both groups outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in Islington. A large group of masked protesters dressed in black and chanting 'we are anti-fascist' marched from a side street towards the main demonstration, prompting officers to rush in and separate the two sides. Meanwhile, people believed to be migrants were seen watching from hotel windows as chants and drumming continued in the street below. The Met Police said there had been nine arrests, including seven on suspicion of breaching Public Order Act conditions. The force said a 33-year-old man who was part of the anti-immigration demonstration was also arrested for a racially aggravated public order offence. A further eight counter-protesters were also arrested. A 22-year-old woman was arrested for expressing support for Palestine Action. A further three men, aged 30, 21 and 28, and three women, aged 43, 33 and 21, were arrested for breaching the Public Order Act conditions in place. A 21-year-old man was arrested for breaching the Public Order Act conditions in place, as well as two cases of assaulting an emergency worker. The Met Police had earlier imposed strict conditions on both the protest and counter-demonstration and increased their presence. The force said the protest against the use of the Islington hotel was organised by local residents under the banner 'Thistle Barbican needs to go – locals say no'. A counter protest, organised by Stand Up To Racism and supported by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, as well as other groups including Finsbury Park Mosque and Islington Labour Party, also took place. Claire Ogley was one of the many Islington residents who joined the Stand Up to Racism protest outside the Thistle City Barbican hotel. The 31-year-old told the Standard: 'I live in Islington. I wanted to show support as a local resident. 'It's really important to stand up to the far right when they come out. We have a message that migrants are not a problem, they are not a threat to us. 'They are welcome. It's not an issue to have migration. I wanted to stand up for that locally.' The protester added: 'We saw the riots on the street a year ago. It is really frightening to see. 'There is a really worrying trend of increasing populism, trying to divide people and stoke up hatred.' Joel, who was also part of the same protest, also told the Standard: 'Islington is a multicultural area of London. The fascists want to intimidate people and they want to come down and say asylum seekers are the root cause of all the problems of the world, but it's not the case.' The 77-year-old added: "We want to show that the racists [and] the fascists are out there to intimidate people. We have to stand together. "We always need more people [to protest], we have to give confidence to people that we are a multicultural city. 'Without the input of people from all over the world, the fashion industry, the food - all the elements of London would be nothing without people from all parts of the world." He added: "I'm proud to live in London, we want to see more people [who] will be welcome. It's not about attacking the fascists, it's about standing together.' Protesters against asylum seekers being placed in the Thistle City Barbican hotel had waved St George's flag and chanted across the street from the building. Susie Luke, who has lived in the Clerkenwell area her whole life, told the Standard: 'Our communities are struggling. 'People are living in the block of flats opposite on food stamps, watching people live over there for free.' Ms Luke also raised concerns about crime in the area increasing, claiming that her friend was followed home and a young man had a chain ripped from around his neck outside the hotel. A large group of masked protesters dressed in black, chanting 'we are anti-fascist' had appeared from a side street and marched towards the rival group outside the hotel during the protests. There were brief clashes before police rushed in to separate the two groups. Online groups that have voiced support for the protest include 'Patriots of Britain' and 'Together for the Children'. The Metropolitan Police said on Friday that plans were in place to 'respond to any protest activity in the vicinity of other hotels in London being used to accommodate asylum seekers'. There were also posts online advertising a 'for our children, for our future' protest in Newcastle on Saturday outside The New Bridge Hotel. A 'stop the far right and fascists in Newcastle' counter-protest had been organised by Stand Up To Racism at the nearby Laing Art Gallery. In a statement, the organisers of the counter protest said: 'Yet again far-right and fascist thugs are intent on bringing their message of hate to Newcastle. They aim to build on years of Islamophobia, anti-migrant sentiment and scapegoating. 'In Epping and elsewhere recently we have already seen intimidation and violence aimed at refugees, migrants and asylum seekers. 'Newcastle, like the rest of the North East, has a well-earned reputation for unity in the face of those who seek to divide us. Whatever problems we face, racism and division are not the answer.' On Saturday evening, a spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: 'The safety of the public is our utmost priority and when we became aware of a protest planned in Newcastle today, we ensured we had an increased presence in the city to deliver a proportionate policing response. 'While the activity mainly passed without incident, disappointingly, four people were arrested in connection with public order offences. 'All four remain in police custody. 'The right to lawful protest is a key part of any democracy, which the police uphold. 'However, we will not accept people using them as a means to commit crime or disorder.' About 100 people attended a protest outside the Stanwell Hotel in Spelthorne, Surrey, on Friday evening, during which a packet of lit firelighters was thrown at police, Surrey Police said. A man was arrested on suspicion of attempted arson and inquiries are ongoing to trace another suspect, the force said. Officers also arrested a man on suspicion of conspiracy to commit violent disorder and aggravated trespass following a protest at the same location on Thursday evening.
