Bogus police

Once again, bogus police have been calling on people in the Perpignan area, and surrounding villages, preying particularly on the elderly as these type of cowards so often do.

These fake police officers will usually flash a card with ‘police’ or ‘gendarmerie’ on it, produced and put away very quickly to avoid scrutiny. He or she will count on law-abiding citizens not questioning a police officer. He or she will be dressed in civilian clothes and wear an arm band with ‘gendarmerie’ on it, easily purchased on the internet!

One of the bogus police scams works as follows.

A door to door salesman arrives, but is quickly followed by two ‘policemen’ claiming that they have been following him as he is a known house burglar. Whilst one ‘policeman’ takes a statement, after asking the householder to check for stolen items of course, the other is busy relieving him of his valuables.

If you find yourself in a situation like this, you are advised to ring the police (the real ones) immediately, either at your local police station if you have that number, (keep on the fridge) or on 17.

How to protect yourself

Whatever the circumstances, if you suspect that you are confronted with a fraud, here is the P-O gendarmerie’s advice:

• Never let anyone that you do not know into your home: genuine door-to-door salespeople, charities and canvassers will not ask to come in and should not be offended if you do not invite them to.
• Tell the person that you have no money on you: do not part with cash or cards in any unofficial circumstances.
• Never sign anything: if you think you could be interested by the offer, take the documentation and tell the person you will return it to them at a later date.
• Report fraud: if you are the victim of fraud, contact the police as soon as possible. If you think you have identified a fraud, you can report it via the online platform, PHAROS.