Brazen fraudsters are using the phone number of Manchester's COURT to scam people

Brazen fraudsters are using the official telephone number of a court in a scam designed to dupe the public out of personal details and, ultimately, cash, the Manchester Evening News can reveal. Police and Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, are believed to be investigating.

Manchester Civil Justice Centre, where county and family courts are based, alongside sittings of the High Court, is understood to have fallen victim to 'spoofing'. According to Action Fraud, the scam known as 'number spoofing' works by fraudsters cloning the telephone number of an organisation or company they want to impersonate so the official number appears on a victim's caller ID display on landlines or mobiles.

Fraudsters then pass themselves off as officials - in this case court officials. As a result, court bosses have urged anyone with no current involvement in the courts system to ignore any such calls they recieve.

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According to reports online, scammers claim victims' National Insurance numbers have been compromised and use baseless, legal threats to scare them into giving up personal and financial information. The towering £160m justice centre - over 16 storeys on Bridge Street on the edge of Spinningfields in Manchester city centre - opened in 2007.

Callers to the switchboard are told in an automated message: "We are aware that this telephone number - 0161 240 5000 - is being used in relation to a potential scam. This is being investigated.

"If you have received a call claiming to be from this number and have no current business with Manchester county or Manchester family court, please ignore it. If you