Fake ASAE and Judicial Police Inspectors Were Behind Most of 193 Scams Reported to the GNR Since 2024, Often Calling From a Real Police Number

People claiming to be inspectors from the ASAE (Autoridade de Segurança Alimentar e Económica, the Food and Economic Safety Authority) or the PJ (Polícia Judiciária, the Judicial Police) were behind most of the 193 impersonation scams that the GNR (Guarda Nacional Republicana, the National Republican Guard) registered between January 2024 and 31 May 2026. The force published the figures in a communiqué on Saturday 10 October, as reported by Público.

The GNR counted 69 cases in 2024, 76 in 2025 and 48 in the first five months of 2026, and said the activity of these criminal groups "has been intensifying continuously". The 48 cases so far this year work out at a higher monthly rate than in either of the two previous years. The crime is classed as "burla por falso funcionário" (fraud by a false official).

About 70 percent of the cases involved fake ASAE or PJ inspectors; in others the suspects passed themselves off as officers of the PSP (Polícia de Segurança Pública, the Public Security Police) or of the GNR itself. The telephone was by far the main channel, used in more than 70 percent of approaches. There were also 30 direct approaches in the street, 9 of them this year.

A real police number on the screen

What makes the calls convincing is caller ID spoofing. According to the GNR, the number that appears on the victim's phone is often the real, public number of a GNR post, a PSP station or a PJ department, which removes "any initial suspicion". The callers use a "formal, harsh and authoritarian" tone to create extreme urgency. Spoofed numbers were the target of a Cabinet proposal in May on spoofed calls and fraudulent text messages.

Three scripts

The GNR described three main stories:

• The "safe account". The caller says the victim is linked to a serious crime, to money laundering or to a hacking attack on their bank account, and tells them to move their savings to supposed "safe accounts" to protect the money.
• The accident or arrest. Calls go mainly to older people, saying a close relative has caused a serious accident or has been detained, and demanding immediate payment of compensation.
• The inspection. Shops and restaurants are told of an imminent inspection or a serious irregularity, with the threat of closure or heavy fines. The caller then offers to close the case on the spot for a "reduced fine", paid by bank transfer or by Multibanco reference.

That last script borrows from a real procedure. The ASAE's own website explains that a business facing a case can ask for voluntary payment of the fine under article 47 of the economic offences regime (Decreto-Lei n.º 9/2021), which cuts 20 percent off the minimum fine, plus costs. But it is a written request, made through the gov.pt public services portal or on a form sent to the ASAE by post or email, before the authority issues its decision. Nothing on the page mentions settling a case by phone. The GNR puts it plainly: "There are no discounts for paying fines on the spot by phone or digitally."

Where, when and who

The districts with the most reported cases were Porto (33), Lisboa (23) and Setúbal (18). About 75 percent of the crimes happened in daylight hours: 74 in the morning and 72 in the afternoon. Thursdays (45 cases) and Fridays (33) were the busiest days.

The GNR identified 172 victims. The largest groups were people aged 51 to 64 (49 victims) and 41 to 50 (33 victims), even though the fake accident calls are aimed mainly at older people.

Older residents are the focus of a separate GNR operation now under way. Operação Censos Sénior 2026 runs from 1 October to 15 November across the country, to register older people in vulnerable situations and teach them to protect themselves against threats including fraud and the "conto do vigário" (confidence trick). In that communiqué the GNR said it recorded 2,720 frauds against older people in its area between January and August 2026, covering all types of fraud and not only impersonation, and detained one person for fraud in the same period.

What the GNR advises

• Never make an immediate payment, and never give personal or bank details over the phone.
• Ask for formal police identification and confirm who the officer or inspector is.
• Remember that there are no on-the-spot discounts on fines by phone or online.
• Be wary of urgent calls. If someone asks for money to stop a relative being detained or to settle a court case or an inspection, hang up at once and contact the authorities directly.
• If you are targeted, contact the police as quickly as possible, gather as much information as you can, note any witnesses and keep any evidence.

Urgency and immediate payment also mark staged road accidents aimed at older drivers and fake bank cards sent by post, two other recent warnings.

How to report it

If a crime is happening now, call 112. Otherwise, fraud can be reported at any GNR post or PSP station, or online through the Ministry of Internal Administration's Queixa Eletrónica (electronic complaint) portal, which lists "burla" (fraud) among the crimes it accepts. The portal says complaints can be made by identified individuals, Portuguese or foreign, who live in Portugal or are in the country, and that a complaint is forwarded only after the complainant's identity has been confirmed. It is not meant for emergencies.

What is not known

The figures, as reported, say nothing about how much money victims lost, how many calls succeeded, or whether anyone has been arrested for these impersonation scams. They are the GNR's own records only: cases reported to the PSP and the PJ are not included, so there is no national total. The communiqué had not been posted on the GNR's website when we checked on Sunday morning, and the ASAE's press release page carried no warning of its own about fake inspectors.