Detectives from the Financial and Cyber Crime Group have issued a warning about a scam using Queensland Police Service (QPS) phone numbers to impersonate police in an attempt to obtain personal details over the phone.

Recent reports indicate the scammers are using a practice known as caller ID spoofing, a tactic used by offenders which allows them to hide their number and display a different number to indicate the incoming call is from a trusted organisation.

QPS have received numerous calls from concerned community members, reporting they have received phone calls from various police stations.

A cold-call scam involves receiving a call from what appears to be a trusted or well-known government phone number and the caller impersonating an employee from the organisation (in this case a police officer) to legitimise the scam.

The scammer can then demand a form of payment to prevent action against you or requests personal information to confirm an identity.

Detective Acting Superintendent Kerry Lofdahl from the Financial and Cyber Crime Group urged Queensland residents to always be vigilant when receiving phone calls from people asking for money or personal details.

“Police, or any other legitimate government department or financial institution, will never call you and ask for your personal banking information or payments in gift cards, cryptocurrency or money transfers," she said.