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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. Good afternoon,
We want to let you know about a couple of reports of courier fraud we have received in the Carnforth and Lancaster areas in the last month and remind you how to keep you and your loved ones safe from fraudsters.
Yesterday we received a report that a woman in her 70s was the victim of a courier fraud scam. The woman initially received an email on 13th September from ‘noreply@TVLicense.co.uk’ with a link to input card details. The woman followed the link, beginning to enter her details before querying the email with TV licensing who confirmed it to be a scam and the woman blocked her card.
On 23rd September, the woman received a text message from someone purporting to be called Bradley, saying he worked for the Financial Conduct Authority. Over the next few days, the number was in contact with the woman, encouraging her to speak with her bank and unblock her card so payments could be made and criminals could be caught. The fraudster told her that there were undercover officers in Manchester tracking the suspects down, telling her that he was working closely with the police to catch criminals.
A taxi later arrived at the woman’s address, where her bank card was collected.
The woman made a report to police, and enquiries are ongoing. A significant sum has been taken from the woman’s accounts.
On 28th August, we received a report that a man in his 80s had been contacted by a man claiming to be from the Barclays fraud team. The man convinced the victim that his bank details had been compromised and that urgent action needed to be taken. They requested that the victim provided them with his bank cards.
The fraudsters have then ordered a taxi from the victim’s address. The taxi driver became suspicious when the victim only gave him bank cards and instead of taking them to the requested address, took them to the police station and handed them in.
The victim reported this to us and the bank and thankfully no money had been taken.
Our enquiries into both reports are ongoing, but in the meantime we want to give you a quick refresher on how to protect yourselves and your loved ones from scammers.
We are aware that those most vulnerable to these scams may not be on social media, and whilst we are using other methods of engaging with local communities too, we need to ask for your help.
Please take a moment to share these words of advice with your family, friends and neighbours:
📞 You never know who is on the other end of the line – just because someone knows your full name and address doesn’t mean they are who they say they are.
🚨Your bank or the police will NEVER call you and ask for personal information, including bank details or pin numbers. They will NEVER offer to pick up bank cards or items from your address.
🤔If you have any doubts that a phone call is genuine, hang up. Then, either use a different phone or wait 20 minutes before calling the police, Report Fraud or your bank. Sometimes, fraudsters will keep the line open waiting for you to use the phone.
❌You can install call blockers or register with a telephone preference service to stop unsolicited calls. Your telephone provider can assist with this.
🚔If you feel worried or concerned about a call, tell the police or someone you trust.
If you think you, or someone you know may have been a victim of fraud, you can report it to us on 101 or Report Fraud on 0300 1232040
![]() 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. 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. 
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