Fake police collecting valuables

A caller claiming to be the police says burglars are active nearby and sends an “officer” to collect your jewellery or bank cards for safekeeping.

What it looks like

Phone call · Police (number matches)

"There have been burglaries on your street. An officer will come by to photograph your jewellery and bank cards so we can protect them."

How it usually ends

The 'officer' took the jewellery and the cards. The cards were used at cash machines that afternoon.

Red flags

Police asking for valuables at home
Caller ID spoofed to look official
Fear + urgency

A real case

In 2025 fake police in Gothenburg and Borås, Sweden, collected jewellery and bank cards from women in their 80s. Three people were convicted.

What to do

Real police never collect valuables or cards from your home.
Hang up and call the police yourself on the official number.
Share this one with older relatives — they are the main targets.

Could you spot it in the moment?

In Painted Sky you’re born at random somewhere on Earth and live a whole life — and this scam is one of the fakes that can find you. Make the call yourself, then replay the same life with a lens that shows what was fake.

Play Painted Sky — free →