Do UK police investigate fraudulant emails?

Is there a police department that specializes in dealing with people who hack email accounts and then send out requests for money? e.g "Manila Trip (Very Sad)"

The culprit in this case has made use of a mobile network with IP addresses registered in Lagos, and has hacked a BTinternet Yahoo a/c

They have a internet crime division of some sort.

There is this email address:
[email protected]

http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/CityPolice/Departm...

There is also this website:
http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

There are so many that the police can't action every report. However, the next best thing is to post them on the scambaiting site www.419eater.com which already features many of these 'please help' scams from BT Yahoo a/cs. The culprit then receives many replies but sadly the payments all go awry, the bank accounts are closed down and generally the scammer is given a hard time

Edited by Malwaremike (Sun 01-Dec-13 13:01:51)

The chances of a specific police investigation into this e-mail are low.

If you stop to think about what offences were committed where and by whom, it's a pretty hopeless task to bring a prosecution. The immediate perpetrator is likely to be in Nigeria, probably using an unregistered pre-pay SIM - but that perpetrator could be an innocent user whose machine has been joined to a botnet.

Nevertheless, the advice in Trisha's reply is well worth following. Action against this sort of e-mail requires an intelligence led approach by the authorities, and anything you can do to help them build up that intelligence is worthwhile.

Thanks, I have logged my crime report and will wait to see if I get a response.

The perpetrator wants money and has provided a return email address. There is always a chance that this could lead to their being identified.

You're welcome

Also, if any such emails are masquerading as banks, card companies or businesses that I deal with, I forward it to that company.

The Police doesn't even investigate REAL world crimes.
I tried to report a theft (~£300) to my local police stn., I was told to dial 101
(which is a premium NO. !).
As I know who the perp is, and he lives in London, I made an online report to Met Police.
The site said I would be contacted within 72 hours. NO, I was NOT.
Then I got a std. letter saying someone will be assigned to deal with it and will be in touch within a week.....,
that was dated 2nd Nov. haven't heard a peep since....
Regards,
Martin

I got a few from "PayPal" and "Skype" and I forwarded both onto the relevant e-mail address'

In reply to a post by martinsq:

I was told to dial 101 (which is a premium NO. !).

101 costs 15p per call flat rate. I believe it should be free, as a disincentive to calling 999/112.

Geographic alternatives to 101 for all the forces are published on police.uk.

And that is 15p more than a call to an 01/02/03 number from my mobile or landline.

As I understand it, the 15p is taken by Cable and Wireless and not the police - the police pay an additional cost per minute (0.05p or so) ...

Why not just have the standard 01/02/03 numbers and it will cost the police and ourselves nothing extra.

In reply to a post by MHC:

Why not just have the standard 01/02/03 numbers and it will cost the police and ourselves nothing extra.

"Marketing"

At one time most police forces used or had allocated xx1212 on each exchange.

Initially just 1212 then as ranges were increased it would become 31212 or 41212 and then 231212 or 631212 for example. So why did they not keep those numbers?

Now you cannot guarantee to even get your own local police force or station.

Which is why, if one doesn't want to waste ages going through a call centre, people call 999 instead even for non-urgent crime-related calls.

In reply to a post by MHC:

At one time most police forces used or had allocated xx1212 on each exchange.

222 was my childhood police station number.

In reply to a post by MHC:

At one time most police forces used or had allocated xx1212 on each exchange.

Initially just 1212 then as ranges were increased it would become 31212 or 41212 and then 231212 or 631212 for example. So why did they not keep those numbers?

Looking at the list I posted earlier in the thread, only Bedfordshire, Surrey and the Metropolitan Police still have a 1212 number as their published geographic number.

It would have bee so easy to retain them

My local police station - with in the Met area had: 231212, the adjoining towns were 631212, 441212, 831212 and 0208 xxx 1212. All you get now is please dial 101 ... and then spend 15 minutes on hold before getting a barrage of questions about why you need to speak to a specific person at a specific station, then another 5 minutes to find te internal extension ... 30 minutes wasted before getting through.

In reply to a post by MHC:

At one time most police forces used or had allocated xx1212 on each exchange.

Who doesn't remember, in old films about Scotland Yard, the number being Whitehall 1212?

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

In reply to a post by MHC:

At one time most police forces used or had allocated xx1212 on each exchange.

Who doesn't remember, in old films about Scotland Yard, the number being Whitehall 1212?

And the geographical number is still 020 7230 1212, however the suggestion that "most" police forces used a number ending 1212 simply isn't true.

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

In reply to a post by MHC:

At one time most police forces used or had allocated xx1212 on each exchange.

Who doesn't remember, in old films about Scotland Yard, the number being Whitehall 1212?

On the old director exchanger that was: 944 for WHItehall. In the 60's they moved to New Scotland Yard in Westminster and it became 230 1212 ...

Isn't 101 where you bin things?

In reply to a post by David_W:

101 costs 15p per call flat rate. I believe it should be free, as a disincentive to calling 999/112.

I'm inclined to agree, it seems odd that a free NHS 111 service has been introduced as a non-emergency alternative to 999, but the equivalent number for the Police is chargeable, albeit at a fairly low fixed rate.

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

Who doesn't remember, in old films about Scotland Yard, the number being Whitehall 1212?

No need to watch the flicks.

Some of us just remember the number being regularly mentioned on the radio.

In reply to a post by kasg:

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

In reply to a post by MHC:

At one time most police forces used or had allocated xx1212 on each exchange.

Who doesn't remember, in old films about Scotland Yard, the number being Whitehall 1212?

And the geographical number is still 020 7230 1212, however the suggestion that "most" police forces used a number ending 1212 simply isn't true.

I can't comment on the Police Forces outside of London, but that was certain predominantly true in London (certainly prior to converting to the Numbered Exchanges). I certainly remember Mountview 1212 (for Hornsey Police Stn) & Bowes Park 1212 for Wood Green Police Stn.

Digressing, strangly enough, when converted to the Numbered Exchanges, neither of these became 668 or 269 (respectively) but 340 & 888.

In reply to a post by Michael_Chare:

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

Who doesn't remember, in old films about Scotland Yard, the number being Whitehall 1212?

No need to watch the flicks.

Some of us just remember the number being regularly mentioned on the radio.

I was just trying to be kind to the younger members of our community!

Although, in those days, you should really refer to "wireless"!

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

I can't comment on the Police Forces outside of London, but that was certain predominantly true in London

Yes, by and large it was a London thing.

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

Although, in those days, you should really refer to "wireless"!

The really old would explain about tickling the cat's whisker, though that term isn't used in this article.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

The really old would explain about tickling the cat's whisker

You don't remember the coherer?

In those days your dad didn't necessarily tell you everything.

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

Digressing, strangely enough, when converted to the Numbered Exchanges, neither of these became 668 or 269 (respectively) but 340 & 888.

That's cuz on old dial phones the letter 'O' was not the '6' hole (which just had 'MN' unlike modern keypad phones) but on the '0' hole.

So MOUntview used to be '608' which was converted to '340' in about 1968.
So BOWes Park used to be '209' which was converted to '888'.

{Source: London Director Exchange Names}

1212 was listed as a reserved number in the original GPO numbering plans. Whether the police chose to use it was their choice.

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

In reply to a post by johnjburness:

Digressing, strangely enough, when converted to the Numbered Exchanges, neither of these became 668 or 269 (respectively) but 340 & 888.

That's cuz on old dial phones the letter 'O' was not the '6' hole (which just had 'MN' unlike modern keypad phones) but on the '0' hole.

So MOUntview used to be '608' which was converted to '340' in about 1968.
So BOWes Park used to be '209' which was converted to '888'.

{Source: London Director Exchange Names}

Ah, I'd forgotten about the "O" using the zero.

However, until they did the number change, I don't recall anyone referring to the exchange by number!

The GPO actually had someone to find the links between an area and a number in te various cities.