Armed police were deployed as a precaution as part of an investigation into scam phone calls.
Earlier this week, Cumbria Constabulary had issued warnings about people pretending to be police officers on the phone trying to con money out of their victims.
Yesterday, police arrested four people.
Two men aged 39 and 28 and a 23-year-old woman were arrested in the area of Welton, near Carlisle, by armed officers. Cumbria police said they were deployed as a precaution and there was no wider threat to the public.
A fourth person, a 19-year-old man, was arrested in Derbyshire. All four remain in police custody.
T/Chief Superintendent Andy Wilkinson said “Following the arrests we are continuing to ask our communities to be vigilant and share the advice to those potentially vulnerable to such scams.
“Since our warning yesterday further people have come forward who had received such calls but thankfully hadn’t fallen for the scam.
“Police officers will never call you out of the blue requesting to meet to collect cash or ask you to transfer money to an account.
“I would urge anyone who receives a call from someone claiming to be an officer and are unsure if its genuine to hang up and call us on 101 to verify their identity.”
Advice from police
- Police officers will never call you out of the blue and request cash or personal information. They’ll never ask you to transfer money to another account, hand over cash or bank cards to a courier, or a pay a fine or fee over the phone.
- If an officer contacts you in person, they will show you their warrant card. This is proof of their identify and authority.
- If someone has called you and you are unsure if they are a genuine police officer, you can hang up and call police on 101 to check their identity.
- It’s recommended you hang up and use a different phone or ask a family member to report, as fraudsters will stay on the line after a victim has hung up and pretend to be a call handler when the victim rings the police.
If you think you have been the victim of a fraud you can report this to police on 101 and to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
