Bedfordshire Police issues fraud warning after seeing a rise in the crime
Elderly residents have been targeted the most
Last updated 23rd Nov 2022
Bedfordshire Police is issuing advice after seeing an increase in elderly victims coming forward after being targeted by fraudsters.
Officers have noticed a spike, particularly around Dunstable and Luton, with fraudsters targeting 80 to 95-year-olds in particular, pretending to be police officers in order to scam them out of money.
Detective Inspector James Day said:
“We have seen a recent increase in elderly victims being targeted by people saying they are police officers and that there is an investigation ongoing regarding their bank.
“The callers convince the victims that they need to withdraw cash and place it in an envelope with their bank card outside their home address so ‘officers’ can pick it up and complete checks relating to the investigation. From there the fraudster then share the card details across their network.
“Please remember police officers will never ask you for your card details, ask you to withdraw cash or to leave it somewhere for collection.”
The force has released advice when on the receiving end of a suspicious call:
The police will never ask for your PIN
The police will never ask for you to withdraw money on their behalf
The police will never ask you to leave cash out anywhere for collection
The police will never ask for your bank cards
Never give out personal information over the telephone
Never withdraw money for anyone you have never met