Warning – Fraudsters Impersonating High Court Enforcement Bailiffs

Cleveland Police’s Economic Crime Unit have been made aware of reports of fraudsters impersonating high court enforcement bailiffs to obtain payments from victims.

The victims have been contacted via calls, texts, or letters and informed they are in debt with time pressures, and they must pay a fine within 48 hours to prevent their assets being seized.

Nine individuals and businesses have been targeted in the Northeast in the last month.

Here are some useful tips from our Economic Crime Unit:

Bailiffs won’t do the following:

• Telephone you to ask for your bank details.
• Telephone you to ask you to make a bank transfer using your sort code and account number.
• They will never turn up without some form of notice being served first.

If you are suspicious of someone claiming to be a bailiff, you should end the call and contact:

• your local county court, if the caller says they are an HMCTS bailiff. Contact details for county courts are on GOV.UK
• The company the person claims to work for, if the caller says they are a HCEO or CEA. Contact the High Court Enforcement Officers Associationor the Civil Enforcement Officers Association (CIVEA) for more information.

If a bailiff turns up at your door, make sure you ask for proof of their identity before you let them in. If they cannot provide any proof of ID, report them to Action Fraud online.

Additionally, if you believe you are a victim of this scam please report the matter to Action Fraud.