Claim: Police are calling people on WhatsApp and asking them to disclose personal information.

Verdict: The calls are part of a scam attempting to get hold of people's bank details.

Unsuspecting individuals are receiving random WhatsApp video calls from a person dressed in what appears to be a police uniform, asking them to disclose personal information including their bank and ID details.

But in reality, this is just the latest scam trying to get people to hand over their money.

Caller mimics police uniform and logo

The calls are being made from a Pakistani phone number, easily identifiable from the use of Pakistan’s international country code +92.

The person seen on the scam video calls.

When a person answers the video call, they are greeted by a man dressed in dark blue clothing, mimicking the police’s official uniform.

In the background, a logo linked to the police force is seen. This logo is not the police’s official logo, but the scammer has instead opted to use the logo of the Malta Police Union, the police force’s trade union.

The scammer then proceeds to introduce himself as a member of the police, often asking people to show him their ID cards and pass on their bank details.

Several people have reported receiving such calls over the past few days, prompting the police to post a warning on their official Facebook page, telling people to ignore the calls altogether.

Some who have received these calls have also taken to social media to warn others of the scam. In one voice message heard by Times of Malta, an audibly agitated woman tells others in a Facebook group chat about her experience.

“They called me this morning, they have the police logo, they’re wearing a police uniform. They start telling you to show them your ID card on the video call,” she said. “They said they were from the police, but they weren’t. After the fright, I called the Birkirkara police station to tell them everything”.

A police spokesperson told Times of Malta that they had received several reports of similar calls over the past two days.

“The police will never ask for bank details over the phone,” the spokesperson said, encouraging people to ignore any suspicious calls they may receive.

This is far not the first time that scammers have attempted to dupe people into believing that they are being contacted by the police.

Back in the summer of 2021, the police warned the public of fraudulent calls being made using local numbers asking people for their ID details.

Readers have reported similar incidents to Times of Malta, saying that they had received similar calls from local numbers as recently as this Monday.

A log of a fraudulent call earlier this week sent to Times of Malta by a reader.

Verdict

Police confirmed with Times of Malta that the calls are being made by a scammer, explaining that the police will never ask for bank details over the phone or through a video call.

The police have received several reports of similar incidents over the past few days and have issued a warning encouraging people to ignore the calls.

This claim is therefore false, as the evidence clearly refutes the claim.

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