Woman loses £2,500 in courier fraud scam in south Cumbria
Police are urging people to warn older friends and family after three scam calls in the area
A woman has lost £2,500 after falling victim to a courier fraud scam in south Cumbria.
Police are now urging people to speak to older friends and family about the risks of fraud, after three people received scam calls in the area in recent days.
Older people were targeted in Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands, according to police.
Two of the victims did not hand over any money, but one woman gave a fraudster £2,500.
On each occasion, the caller pretended to be a police officer, police said.
What is courier fraud
Detective Constable Claire Keyes said the type of fraud used is known as courier fraud.
"Courier fraud is a cruel and calculated crime that targets trust, often focusing on vulnerable people, such as older members of the community," DC Keyes said.
"They may pretend to be official people such as police officers or bank workers and may know a little bit about victims, such as name, date of birth or the name of their bank," DC Keyes said.
DC Keyes said questions are then asked by the fraudster to "fill the gaps" in their knowledge, before requests are made for money to be sent electronically or for cash to be withdrawn.
"They rely on creating a sense of panic which makes the people they have called act instinctively without thinking logically," DC Keyes said.
"The fraudsters may ask for cash or expensive goods to be collected by a courier, which is why it is sometimes known as courier fraud," DC Keyes said.
Police said the effect on people targeted is not just financial loss, with victims, sometimes elderly, losing trust in people who contact them.
Officers and staff are working across the county to raise awareness of the issue, police added.
"These fraudsters target some of the most vulnerable in our society," DC Keyes said.
"They are also very friendly, persuasive and persistent. They sound completely believable," DC Keyes said.
"Their interactions are carefully scripted to ensure that the victim is convinced they are either a police officer or, for instance, a member of an internal investigation team within their bank," DC Keyes said.
"We need your help to speak to older friends and relatives to explain that they should be cautious when dealing with strangers on the phone, even if they do claim to have an official job title," DC Keyes said.
What to remember
Police are reminding people that organisations such as banks and the police would never:
- Ask for bank account details or a PIN number over the phone.
- Ask someone to withdraw or transfer money.
- Ask someone to download anything onto their device.
- Ask someone to lie to their bank.
Ask someone to purchase gift cards or other high value items such as mobile phones, jewellery or gold bullion.
Ask someone to hand over any of the above to a courier or taxi, or post them to any address.
Police said that if people have doubts about the person they are speaking to, they should put the phone down.
As fraudsters have been known to keep the line open after a victim has hung up, people are advised to either wait five minutes or use a different phone to contact their bank or the police using a trusted number, and should never use a number given to them by the caller.
The non-urgent number for police is 101, and dialling 159 from any phone allows people to say the name of their bank and be put through.