THE Australian Federal Police (AFP) is warning community members about a scam involving fake police representatives attempting to con money from the public.

AFP switchboard operators have received hundreds of calls in the past couple of months from people across Australia who have reported receiving calls from individuals claiming to be employed by the AFP.

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The AFP has stated that it will never call, email or contact people via social media and threaten to arrest them, demand money or ask for personal details.

According to the AFP, scammers are falsely identifying themselves as a Federal Agent and are telling victims they have identified suspicious activity linked to their bank accounts.

They then request personal details including a Medicare number, address and bank details.

The scammers are also targeting people via email and social media with fake arrest warrants.

The offenders then call their victims and demand payments – ordering them to deposit money into a nominated bank account or purchase online vouchers.

Some people have been manipulated by these offenders, including an elderly woman who reported that she deposited more than $16,000 into a scam bank account.

The calls appear to come from a legitimate AFP number – but the AFP want to stress that they and the Australian Government will never seek payment for fines or other matters over the phone.

The scammers have managed to mimic an AFP number to disguise their identity and police suspect the calls originate from overseas.

Detective Superintendent Jayne Crossling said these scammers were often stealing from the most vulnerable members of our community.

“Scammers take advantage of people’s trust in authorities and fear of doing the wrong thing,” Detective Superintendent Crossling said.

“Victims can feel an array of emotions – from helplessness and humiliation to anger and guilt – but it is important to know you are not to blame and help is available.

“The sooner people report fraud where the victim has suffered any financial loss, the better the chances that banks or authorities can help have funds returned.”

Police have advised members of the community to not follow the instructions of these scammers or keep them on the phone line, and also not to call them back on the number they called you.

If you are contacted by someone you suspect is a scammer, please end the call immediately.

If you are the target of a possible phone scam please report it via the Scamwatch website at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam.