Scam calls in which people get tricked into divulging personal information are increasing every day the police said on Sunday as they issued a second warning about calls purporting to be from the police. 

Over recent days, several people have reported receiving calls with a recorded message in English telling them about suspicious activity related to their e-ID account, or that an arrest warrant in their name had been issued. They are then referred to a number and asked to supply personal information.

The Police Cyber Crime Unit said it received 150 such reports in the past week, with some people admitting to having been tricked.

The police said they are working with telephone service providers to track down the scam calls. 

This was the second warning about scam calls purportingnat to be from the police, with the first having been issued at the end of last month.

It was also revealed in May that several people had fallen victim to another scam where they received a text message that appeared to be from MaltaPost asking them to click a link to arrange for a parcel delivery and asking for payment of a fee.

MaltaPost had issued two warnings about the scam. The police had received more than 200 reports and more than €100,000 were believed to have been stolen in this way.  

In March, GO reported that scammers are using technology that allows them to display a legitimate number on people’s phones.

The scam, known as ‘number spoofing’, means the actual number is masked by a fake one on the caller ID display, leading the customer to believe that the call is from a trusted source.

Claiming to be GO representatives, the scammers then ask receivers to download software or provide personal, banking or PIN details, information that the company never asks for over the phone.

Back in February, the Central Bank of Malta has warned the public to be on guard saying it has received several reports from residents who received scam calls via Viber.

It said that the caller profile shows up as the "Central Bank of Malta" and even includes a photo of the bank’s premises – even though the number is not linked at all with CBM, may not appear, or may be a foreign number.

The recipient is told that their “account number or other personal information are needed” to solve some problem – in particular linked to a threat to block credit cards.