Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesDo not trust a police logo, caller ID, email name, badge image, or official-looking letter as proof. Stop responding, then contact the police department named in the notice using contact details you find independently on its official website or at an official station. Ask whether the notice, officer, and reference number are genuine. Do not use contact details, links, QR codes, or payment portals supplied only by the suspicious sender.
Verify the notice through an independent channel
- Pause and do not comply yet. Ignore countdowns, secrecy demands, threats, and instructions to transfer money for “verification.” Do not share banking details, passwords, one-time codes, identity documents, or remote-access permissions while the contact is unverified.
- Keep the original evidence. Save the message or document, the sender’s details, phone numbers, URLs, reference number, and any envelope. Take screenshots; for email, retain the original and its headers if you can. Do not open or forward suspicious links as though they are safe. India’s National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal lists emails, URLs, chat transcripts, screenshots, transaction receipts, bank statements, and envelopes among possible evidence (portal guidance).
- Identify the agency that supposedly sent it. Find its official website or visit an official station. Use a published contact route you located yourself—not a number, email address, link, QR code, or payment portal supplied in the message.
- Ask the agency to check the details. Request confirmation that it sent the notice, that the named officer works there, and that the reference number exists. Singapore Police specifically advises recipients of documents bearing police letterhead to contact the issuing department to verify authenticity (Singapore Police guidance).
- End contact if the agency cannot confirm it. Report suspected impersonation through local police or the official cybercrime service for your location. If you already paid or disclosed account information, contact your bank or other financial institution promptly and report locally. The FBI’s guidance for government-impersonation scams also recommends stopping contact, notifying financial institutions, and contacting local law enforcement (FBI IC3 guidance).
Tell a complaint acknowledgement from a police notice
Acknowledgement details may let you track a complaint you filed, but they do not authenticate a separate notice that someone later sends you. If you submitted a report through an official portal, return to that portal by navigating to its official website yourself and use its status-checking process.
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India’s National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal says reports submitted through its reporting options receive a reference number by SMS and email and can be tracked using the acknowledgement number. It also says complaints are handled by the relevant State or Union Territory police based on the selection made during reporting (National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal). A reference can help confirm the portal submission and its status; it is not proof that every later call, email, or document using that reference is genuine.
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Warning signs are reasons to verify—not authentication tests
Impersonators may spoof phone numbers and names, use fake credentials, and sound convincing. The FBI warns that caller ID and a displayed name can be spoofed, so a match is not proof of identity (FBI IC3 guidance). Pressure, aggressive language, demands for secrecy, requests for sensitive information, or instructions to pay by wire, cash, prepaid card, or cryptocurrency are serious warning signs—but no single clue can establish whether a particular notice is real.
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The FBI states: “NO legitimate law enforcement or government official will request payment via prepaid cards or cryptocurrency ATM.” Treat such a demand as a strong reason to stop and verify independently; do not let it replace confirmation from the named agency.
India’s National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit described “digital arrest” threats as part of police and government impersonation scams in a 2025 advisory (National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal). The tactic is a warning sign, not evidence about any specific notice. Singapore’s 2025 government advisory points residents to ScamShield for checking suspicious messages, phone numbers, and links; its recommendations and local practices should not be assumed to apply elsewhere (Singapore government advice). Pakistan National CERT has also reported a phishing campaign using emails that impersonated law enforcement and falsely accused recipients of cybercrime; its email-domain guidance is specific to Pakistan, not a universal test (Pakistan National CERT advisories).
Choose a reporting route for your location and urgency
Police procedures and reporting services vary. Use the official channel for the agency named in the notice and the place where you are. Do not assume one national portal handles every local police process.
- United Kingdom: Report Fraud covers England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It directs people in Scotland to Police Scotland and says emergencies or crimes happening now should go to local police rather than a routine report form (Report Fraud; what to do next).
- India: The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal routes complaints to the selected State or Union Territory police authority. Use its own acknowledgement-based tracking process for a report you filed there (National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal).
- Elsewhere: Find the official police or cybercrime service for the jurisdiction involved. If someone is in immediate danger or a crime is occurring now, use the local emergency police route rather than waiting for a routine web form.
What not to rely on
- A logo, letterhead, seal, badge image, or convincing writing style.
- A caller ID, sender display name, or credential shown by the person contacting you.
- A reference number by itself, especially when it appears in an unexpected message.
- A link, phone number, QR code, or payment channel provided only by the sender.
These details may be part of a genuine communication, but they are not a substitute for confirmation through the agency’s independently located official channel.
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