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Suffolk police warn of courier fraud targeting elderly following recent reports |
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Police are urging families, friends and neighbours to make their elderly relatives or vulnerable members of the community aware of courier fraud after two incidents were reported to police this week.
Courier fraud occurs when people are contacted by people pretending to be police officers or bank officials and duped into handing over money, valuables or bank cards, which are collected from their home address, often by couriers. The criminals use a variety of different tactics, often claiming that there is a problem with your account and they need your help to catch the real criminals.
The first incident occurred in the mid Suffolk area, the second incident in west Suffolk.
Both involved a female victim aged in her 80s who are reported to have lost a significant sum of money.
Police are urging residents to share this warning with elderly and vulnerable family members, friends and neighbours – but stress that anyone can fall victim to these sophisticated scams.
If you know of anyone that you feel might be susceptible to this, please help ensure they are aware of the dangers and consider measures such as call blockers.
DC John Payne of Suffolk Constabulary’s Fraud Assessment Unit said: “Courier fraud is a cruel and calculated crime. Criminals who carry out courier fraud will exploit a number of tactics, preying on the vulnerable, the elderly, and those that trust services such as police and banks the most.
“However, this can happen to anyone. These criminals are highly convincing and will go to great lengths to make their story sound legitimate.
“Both reports this week have described being contacted by someone claiming to be from the police and it’s important that people know police would never call you to ask you to withdraw money to be collected by an officer. Nor would they ask you to transfer money into a different bank account.
“Please share this important advice with your friends, your family and your neighbours and make sure they know what to do if contacted.
“If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of the call please contact Suffolk police, ideally via another phone line or other method, to verify the details of the officer provided in the call.”
Suffolk Constabulary is sharing an animated video to try and make people aware of the dangers of courier fraud, the signs to look out for and how you can protect yourself, your family and your friends. Further advice can also be found at the end of this video.
Courier fraud
Courier fraud occurs when people are contacted by people pretending to be police officers or bank officials and duped into handing over money, valuables or bank cards, which are collected from their home address, often by couriers. The criminals use a variety of different tactics, often claiming that there is a problem with your account and they need your help to catch the real criminals.
The victim may also be encouraged into handing over their bank cards, bank details and PINs, as well as handing over or buying high value items such as jewellery, watches and gold.
Older people are sadly the most likely to be targeted by criminals carrying out courier fraud.
A scammer calling you, claiming to be from your bank or a police officer. They tell you either that: a fraudulent payment has been spotted on your card that needs sorting out
someone has been arrested using your details and cards
You may be asked to call your bank using the phone number on the back of your card. This convinces you that the call is genuine. But the scammer has kept the line open at their end, so when you make the call, you're unknowingly connected straight back to them or their friends.
They’ll either ask you for your PIN or ask you to key it into your phone. No bank or other legitimate service will ever ask you for your PIN.
The scammer then sends a courier or taxi to pick up the card from your home. Even the driver may not know they’re being used as part of the scam.
Once the scammer has both your card and PIN they can spend your money.
A different version of this scam is where you’re contacted and told there’s a corrupt member of staff at your bank, post office or bureau de change and the police need your help to identify them.
They ask you to withdraw a large sum of your money, which the police or bank will mark, then put back into the banking system. They say this will help them identify the corrupt person. Once you hand the cash over, the scammers simply take it.
Victims are sometimes asked to meet the ‘couriers’ in public places such as supermarkets or retail parks.
Another example is when a fake police officer phones or approaches you and asks you to buy an expensive watch or other high-value item, to try to find out if counterfeit goods are being sold.
Once you’ve bought the item, the scammer tells you to hand it to a taxi driver for transfer to the police. The expensive item is, of course, taken instead to the scammer’s partner.
The latest variation is where the scammer contacts you and says your bank account has been taken over and you need to transfer all the funds into a ‘safe account’. Of course, the new account is operated by the scammers, who then steal the funds.
Victims are not just elderly or vulnerable people. Those responsible are professionals, they know what to say and are very convincing.
For more details about checking police officers’ identities, please visit: How to check an officer's identity | Suffolk Constabulary
Police officers will never:
Ask for bank details or PINs Request cash or bank card handovers to couriers Demand money transfers to other accounts Ask for payment of fines or fees over the phone Request access to your computer or passwords Ask you to 'assist' in an investigation by doing any of the above
If you have any concerns or feel you or someone you know may have been targeted, please report it.
Reports can be made to both the police and to Action Fraud, while further advice on this and other scams is available on the Report Fraud website - Courier fraud - Report Fraud
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