Gloucestershire Constabulary is asking those living in the GL53 area of Cheltenham to be vigilant following reports of scammers purporting to be staff from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
Over recent days a report has been received of residents receiving phone calls from someone saying they work within the department and are conducting a survey.
The person supposedly conducting the survey then spoke at length before asking for personal information. The victim made a comment about the survey before the scammer hung up.
Police can confirm no surveys from the PCC about the area of GL53 are being run at the moment however three genuine monthly surveys are being run on behalf of the constabulary, these are
A domestic abuse victims survey conducted by Leicestershire Police
Victim/ user satisfaction survey conducted by a company called SMSR
Local policing survey also conducted by SMSR
For those who are victims of crime, a call asking about their experience may be expected but for the local policing survey they will not be expecting a call. However the company will always declare themselves as calling on behalf of the Constabulary and being from SMSR (an approved market research company). They also give the person the team’s contact details should they wish to check the legitimacy of the call.
SMSR is registered under the data protection act and they will not ask people for personal details just demographic data.
The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is free and can help reduce the number of nuisance and scam calls you receive. To register, please visit: https://www.tpsonline.org.uk/register