Not Everyone Is Who They Appear To Be

Strathclyde Police has launched a new campaign to tackle the issue of bogus callers – a crime which now affects communities the whole year round.

With the strapline ‘Not everyone is who they appear to be’, the campaign encourages people to question whether or not the person on the other side of their door, or on the other end of their phone line, is who they say they are.

It will also encourage anyone targeted by bogus callers - whether the victim themselves, a family member, neighbour or carer - to speak up and report incidents or concerns to police.

Bogus callers can take many guises and they’re generally very skilled at deception. They turn up at your door unannounced or contact you by phone, try to gain your trust and trick you out of money.

Our message is simple – not everyone is who they appear to be so don’t be afraid to challenge them or question their intentions. If genuine, they won’t have a problem with it.

• Are they definitely from the utility company they say they are?
• Are they definitely there to take your meter readings?
• Are they definitely calling from your bank? 

Further information on our campaign, advice on how to spot bogus callers and how to prevent falling victim to this despicable crime can be found at www.strathclyde.police.uk.

Anyone can fall victim to bogus callers - young or old. People often feel embarrassed about the fact that they’ve fallen for someone’s story but we want to reassure victims that it’s nothing to be embarrassed about and that they, or their family member, neighbour or carer, shouldn’t be afraid to report incidents to their local police on 0141 532 2000. Always call 999 in an emergency.

• Download the bogus caller campaign poster
• Download the bogus caller campaign sticker