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I wanted to provide you with an update regarding Fraud (e.g. bogus callers, courier fraud, cyber-crime), which people around your area have highlighted as an issue of concern on the priority survey. Following a spate of Courier Frauds across the West Mercia area we would like to remind people what Courier Fraud is and how you can stay safe.
Fraudsters are contacting members of the public claiming to be from the Police or in some cases their bank. They inform you that there has been a fraudulent payment made from your bank account, or that you need to withdraw large sums of money (both UK and foreign currency) or high value items such as watches or gold to help resolve the problem. They will then send a courier to collect the money/bank card or even ask you to transport the money to another location. This is known as 'courier fraud' and is one of the most common types of telephone fraud in Britain.
They will attempt to gain your trust by asking you to ring the Police/Bank back who will be able to offer further assistance; this makes the call seem genuine when in actual fact the fraudster keeps the line open so the victim is unknowingly reconnected to them. They are likely to ask you to clarify your full bank details including your PIN.
If you do receive such a call end it immediately, if you are concerned that you have been the victim of a courier scam, we would recommend that you inform your bank immediately, not using the number the fraudsters provided but by using a trusted number such as on the reverse of your bank card. When doing this we recommend that you wait at least 10 minutes if using the same landline you have received the call from or by using a mobile phone. Anyone who thinks that they have been contacted by a bogus Police Officer should contact West Mercia Police on 101 or 999 in the case of an emergency.
Please be aware that that Police nor your Bank will ever ask you to be involved in an undercover operation, nor will they send a courier to collect your money/bank cards. They will not ask you to verify your PIN code nor move money into a ‘Safe account’
We would ask you to pass this information onto your friends and family. Together we can keep fraudsters away and stop the scam before it starts. If you are having a lot of scam calls to your landline, please get in touch for further help.
STOP. THINK. FRAUD. HANG UP – IT’S A SCAM
 People in the UK lost £1.2bn to fraud in 2022, the equivalent of £2,300 every minute, according to bank industry group UK Finance. It said around three million scams took place, with frauds involving payment cards being the most common. Fraud is when trickery is used to gain a dishonest advantage, which is often financial, over another person. Cybercrime is any criminal act dealing with computers and networks. To report an incident of cybercrime or fraud and for further information visit the Action Fraud website at www.actionfraud.police.uk. If you haven’t already listed Action Fraud as an Information Provider who can send you information and alerts, why not click on the settings button at the bottom of this email, log into your account and update your sharing settings. Get Involved Please consider getting involved by registering for these messages, this will enable you to contribute to the local priority survey. We may be unaware of issues that you would like us to focus on. Take a few minutes to securely and privately register and have your say using the button below, this will mean we can focus on things that matter to you. 
Please click here to complete the survey
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