Hull: Woman suspected of impersonating police officer

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of impersonating a police officer, burglary and attempted burglary following an incident in Hanover Court, Hull.

Police were called at around 5.10pm on Sunday, 26 January, following reports a woman claiming to be a police support officer had visited the home of an elderly resident to talk about security and stolen her handbag.

Police also received calls from a number of other residents in the area who had been approached by a woman answering the same description.

The offender was described as white, around 50 years old, of thin build, with mousey hair in a ponytail.

She was wearing a dark zip up jacket, jeans and yellow trainers.

A woman was arrested in the area a short time later and remains in custody, assisting police with their enquiries.

There are many different types of doorstep scams and official advice is not to answer the door to anyone you don’t know or who cannot provide valid ID.

Some of the most common scams include:

• Rogue traders: A cold-caller may offer you a service you don’t really need. They may claim to have noticed something about your property that needs work or improvement, such as the roof, and offer to fix it for cash or an inflated price.
• Bogus officials: People claim to be from your utility company as a way of gaining access to your home. Always check the ID of any official, and if they’re genuine they won’t mind waiting while you check. 
• Fake charity collections: A fraudster may pretend they’re from a charity and ask you to donate money, clothes or household goods. Legitimate charities will all have a charity number that can be checked on the Charity Commission website.  
• Made-up consumer surveys: Some scammers ask you to complete a survey so they can get hold of your personal details, or use it as a cover for persuading you to buy something you don’t want or need.
• Hard luck stories: Someone may come to your door and ask you to help them out with cash, ask to use your telephone or claim they’re feeling unwell. The story is made up and intended to con you out of your money or gain access to your home.

If you believe you have been targeted by a scam, please get in touch with Humberside Police and give them as much information about the caller as you can.

If you think you could assist the investigation into yesterday’s incident, please call the non-emergency 101 line, quoting incident number 16/18835/20.