Scams doing the rounds in North Yorkshire
This is a short list, not an encyclopedia. It holds what is actually being reported in North Yorkshire now, with the date I last checked, and it changes when something new turns up. If you have had a call or a text that is not on here, tell me and I will look into it.
Last checked: 5 October 2026.
| Reported | What it looks like | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026, over 50 reports to North Yorkshire Police in three days | A call from someone claiming to be a police officer, often with a crime reference number, sometimes passing you between "colleagues". They say your money or your account is at risk and ask for bank details, passwords, PINs, cryptocurrency recovery phrases, or for you to move money to a "safe account". The caller's number can look genuine. | Hang up. Real officers never ask for any of those things. Wait, then ring 101 from a different phone or after a minute to check, and report it. |
| Continuing | Texts about a parcel that could not be delivered, an unpaid toll or a tax refund, with a link to "sort it out" | Do not tap the link. Open the app or website you already use and look there. If there is nothing, delete the text. |
| Continuing | A WhatsApp message from "a son or daughter" with a new number, soon followed by a request for money | Ring the number you already have for them. Agree a family word now. |
| Continuing | A call from "the bank's fraud team" about a suspicious payment, offering to protect your money by moving it | No bank does this. Hang up and ring 159, which connects you to your own bank. |
Sources I check: North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Community Messaging, Report Fraud (the national reporting service that replaced Action Fraud in January 2026) and the local press. The police warning on the fake officer calls is at YorkMix, 29 September 2026.
If it has already happened: call your bank on 159 and report it at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040.
If you have been scammed, call your bank on 159 and report it at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040.
This is general advice from one person's experience, not a service; your bank and the police come first.