Scam phone calls, also known as courier fraud scam - callers pretending to be a police officer/bank/fraud department

We ask for residents to continue to be vigilant of the scam in which residents are contacted by unexpected telephone calls from bogus callers claiming to be from their bank/fraud department/police.

The fraudsters claim the victim's bank account has had fraudulent activity (or similar storyline) and that they need you to urgently transfer money/withdraw your money or collect your bank card by courier - if you receive a call like this hang up the call immediately and do not provide any of your bank details.  

If someone knows basic details about you like your name, address or date of birth, it doesn't mean they are genuine.

The police will never contact people to ask that they transfer money from an account to aid an investigation or request banking information - if anyone does get this type of request, it is a scam.

Any Police, Bank, Financial Conduct Authority or Fraud departments: -

·  will never ask an individual to move their money to a new bank account.

·  will never ask an individual to become involved in an investigation or assist them by transferring their own money or using their own money.

·  will never ask for someone’s card pin number or full card details.

·  will never ask you to withdraw your money and send a courier to collect it.

Our advice to anyone who receives a call of this nature or any unexpected call from a company is to: -

·  Do Not engage with the caller, hang up. If you need to contact your bank please wait at least 5-10 minutes for the line to clear before making a call, or clear the line by phoning a friend/family member, or make the call on a different phone to the one you were contacted on.

·  Contact your Bank only on a number you know is genuine, such as those found on the rear of your bank card or on a statement or visit your local branch to discuss and seek advice.

·  If you need to check a police officer calling is a genuine officer contact your local police force by dialling 101 or via the contact page on the website Contact us | Devon & Cornwall Police

·  Talk to your friends and family about any call you receive and ask for their help and advice. 

·  If you have already given your bank details over the phone or handed your card details to a courier, call your bank straight away - you can reach most UK bank fraud departments by dialling 159.

· After you have contacted your bank, report to Report Fraud UK's Home for Reporting Cyber Crime & Fraud - Report Fraud or by calling 0300 123 2040 and report to you local police on 101 or via the website.

Further advice around fraud can be found on the Devon & Cornwall Police website Reporting door-to-door or courier fraud | Devon & Cornwall Police

Please pass this information on and consider displaying on noticeboards etc.

Thank you.