Fraudsters are posing as South Yorkshire Police in an attempt to seize peoples’ bank details over the phone, officers have warned.

Scammers have phoned members of the public and told them someone they know is in custody, before alleging they’ve found that person’s passport or tried to obtain their bank details.

Police say scammers even give out a false email address in an attempt to dupe people during phone calls.

South Yorkshire Police have issued a fresh warning about the potential scam after a series of incidents.

The force said on Sept 21: “We have been made aware that several members of the public across the country have received fraudulent calls that appear to have been made by South Yorkshire Police this evening.

“These calls have not come from us.

“The calls are made to appear as if they have come from the number 01142196905, but this is not the case.”

Police added: “In some cases the caller has also given a false police email address of [email protected]. We have checked with the Met and this is not a legitimate email address.

“If you receive a call from the number 01142196905, do not answer it. Do not give your personal or financial details away over the phone. If in doubt, hang up.

“If you have provided financial details to this number, contact your bank and report to Report Fraud.”