Sandyford and Goldenhill

Report Fraud, run by the City of London Police, is urging the public to be sure of who they are talking to following a spike in reports of calls from ‘spoofed’ police force phone numbers.

Analysis of data from Report Fraud, the national cyber crime and fraud reporting service, shows that there has been an increase in reports made where the caller has purported to be from a police force from a variety of areas across the country. The City of London Police itself, the National Lead Force for fraud, has also taken thousands of crime reports of a similar nature.

But in reality, it is a criminal contacting a member of the public, using a ‘spoofed’ phone number to try and obtain sensitive personal or financial details so that fraud can then go on to be committed. Often, the criminals will claim that the victim will be helping with an investigation by providing the personal or financial information they are asking for.

While a number of calls about this type of fraud has been made to Report Fraud, this is likely to be the tip of the iceberg and a far bigger problem that is not reported, so the full scale is unknown.

Criminals use ‘spoofing’ software to intentionally cover up their real caller ID and instead, mirror the phone number of a legitimate organisation. They do this to make it appear that calls or text messages are coming from a trusted organisation like the police, banks or government agencies.

These scam calls may use AI technology, be automated or from a real person. Their main goal is to trick you into sharing personal information or to transfer money.

How to protect yourself

Remember that genuine service providers, banks and the police will NEVER call asking you to transfer money, share personal financial details or hand over remote control of your computer.

If you are in any way suspicious, or feel pressured into anything, hang up and take time to check if the call is genuine. Call back on a number you know to be genuine, for example as shown on your utility bills or the back of your card. You can also call 159 to get through to your bank, or 101 for the police.

Don’t trust the Caller ID display on your phone – it’s not proof of ID,

Report a suspicious phone call

If you’ve lost money or have been hacked as a result of responding to a phishing message or scam call, you should report it to Report Fraud.

In England, Wales or Northern Ireland, visit https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/ or call 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland by calling 101.

You should also report suspected scam calls by sending a text to 7726 with the word ‘Call’ and the caller’s number.

If you’ve shared personal information with a suspicious caller

Learn how to protect yourself if you think you’ve shared personal information.

If you’ve visited a website you think is suspicious, you can report a scam website or link to us.

Over 9,000 young people across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent took part in fun activities this Summer thanks to the Staffordshire Commissioner’s Space Programme.

The programme, for children aged between 8 and 17, brings together public, voluntary and private sector organisations to provide activities for young people during the school holidays.

It is funded by Proceeds of Crime funding and aims to help increase young people’s skills, improve their health and wellbeing and create opportunities, while also aiming to reduce levels of anti-social behaviour (ASB).

This year, 9244 young people attended over 2,000 activities, with a total attendance of 25,499 and 46,791 hours of engagement.

Commissioner Ben Adams said: “Space has been running in its current format since 2015, and it continues to grow each year.

“It’s a great opportunity for children from a variety of backgrounds to meet new friends and try something new during the school holidays.

“A huge thanks to all partners that come together to facilitate the activities which help to reduce anti-social behaviour and make a positive difference in our communities.”

Halloween Market Event, Boulevard Tunstall 24/10/26 10 a.m. to 12 noon

Summer Bank Park near play area 28/11/26 14:00 to 14:30

Mobberley Rd 04/11/26 13:30 to 14:00

A place to go, 21 The Boulevard 04/11/26 12:00 to 13:00

A place to go 21 The Boulevard 14/11/26 12:00 to 13:00

Bond St 14/11/26 13:30 to 14:00

Charlotte Street 26/10/26 18:45 to 19:15

All these meetings are subject to being cancelled at sort notice if an incident / scene takes place.

Great news! 🎉 The items stolen from the Chell area last week have been recovered and returned to their owners.

Having just spoken with the father of the young girl whose bike was stolen, he told me she is over the moon to have it back. It’s fantastic to hear such a positive outcome.

While this remains an ongoing investigation, we wanted to share the good news and thank everyone for their support and assistance.