Nine reports of courier fraud in Salisbury in the last week
Wiltshire Police is warning scammers are pretending to be officers
Police in Salisbury have had nine reports of courier fraud incidents targeting elderly people in city in the last week alone.
There's a warning that scammers are calling people claiming to be police officers, from 'the Flying Squad, the Met' and even in some cases, from 'Bourne Hill police station'.
To try and gain a victim’s trust, the caller might be able to confirm some easily obtainable personal details, such as their full name and address.
The caller might then suggest money has been removed from their account by mistake, police need money for evidence or even need the victim to purchase an item of high price ‘evidence’.
The victim is told to withdraw a large amount of money and the cash is picked up later by a courier to “check for fingerprints or to identify counterfeit bank notes”.
Alternatively, the victim may be asked to package the cash up and send it by post to an address provided by the fraudster.
The fraudsters will remain on the phone line throughout the entire duration of their ‘investigation’ either on the victims mobile phone or on their landline number at home.
If you suspect you have been targeted, put the phone down and call the police or your bank from another landline or mobile to check, not the line you were called on.
Inspector Tina Osborn, from the Salisbury Neighbourhood team said:
“These fraudsters can be very persuasive and use a variety of tactics to convince you to withdraw cash, transfer money or hand over bank cards.
"We've had one case recently where a fraudster targeted a 90 year-old lady in a phone call that lasted over four hours. This shows just how devious these fraudsters are becoming and we are seeing an increasing number of victims who have been emotionally manipulated to lower their defences.”
“It is really important people remain vigilant against these cold-hearted crimes. Bank accounts can be emptied in minutes and life savings lost. This places enormous stress on families and ruins people’s lives.
"Victims are typically elderly, as in these cases, and we are asking anyone with an elderly relative, loved one, friend or associate to please make them aware of this type of scam.”
Officers have shared some tips to help protect yourself and your loved ones:
• Your bank or the police will never call you to ask you to verify your personal details or PIN by phone or offer to pick up your card by courier. Hang up if you get a call like this.
• If you need to call your bank back to check, wait five minutes; fraudsters may stay on the line after you hang up. Alternatively, use a different line altogether to call your bank.
• Your debit or credit card is yours – don’t let a stranger take it off you. You should only ever have to hand it over at your bank. If it’s cancelled, you should destroy it yourself.
• If you’ve given your bank details over the phone or handed your card to a courier, call your bank straight away to cancel the card.