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Northants Police issue warning after five courier fraud incidents
| Author: Northants Police | Published: 10th November 2019 09:39 |
Northants Police issue warning after five courier fraud incidents
Northants Police are warning people to stay vigilant after five Northamptonshire residents fell victim to scam phone calls in the last two days.
The incidents happened between Thursday, November 7 and Saturday, November 9 2019, and involved calls made by fraudsters claiming to be Police officers and in this instance being from Paddington Green Police Station, to residents in Irchester, Kettering and Wellingborough.
All involved the caller saying there had been fraudulent activity on their account and asking if they could assist police with their investigation by going to their local branch and withdrawing cash over the counter.
A police spokesman said:
"Police would NEVER ask you to withdraw money as part of an investigation and hand it to a courier.
"Luckily, most people recognise these calls are fraudulent and refuse to hand over any money, however these scammers are extremely persuasive and unfortunately there are some occasions where people fall prey to them and lose thousands of pounds.
"Please help us to raise awareness by sharing this with your friends and family, especially if they are vulnerable or elderly. If you do receive one of these fraudulent telephone calls, please make sure you report it to us as soon as possible."
Northamptonshire Police offers the following crime prevention advice:
- Always be dubious about unknown callers, even those who claim to be officials.
- Don't be afraid to put the phone down with a brief 'No, thank you'.
- NEVER give personal information, such as date of birth or bank details, to unexpected callers.
- Remember that the police or your bank would NEVER unexpectedly call and ask you to withdraw cash or move money to another account as a result of fraud or any other reason.
- If callers suggest calling police or the bank to check who they are, use another phone or
- ensure the line has been fully disconnected by phoning a friend or relative first, or by waiting at least five minutes, otherwise you might think you have phoned a number but you're simply talking to the fraudsters again. This is a common scam tactic.
- If a caller asks you to type your bank PIN into your telephone handset, do not do this, as fraudsters can use technology to identify the numbers
- You can opt out of many cold calls by registering for free with the Telephone Preference Service on 0845 070 0707.
For further advice go to: https://www.northants.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/fa/fraud/personal-fraud/door-to-door-courier-fraud/
Witnesses or anyone with information should call Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. Always call 999 to report a crime in progress.
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