"Hang up straight away": Police urge us to report cases of courier fraud

People across Wiltshire are being urged to report concerns around courier fraud, after £21 million was lost in the UK in 2025.

Courier Fraud see's criminals contact people over the phone or by email in attempt to convince them to part with money which will be collected by a courier at the door or sent out in the post.

Often, they'll claim that they're a police officer investigating a financial crime or that they're from the bank. They'll ask the victim to move money as quickly as possible to avoid an account being compromised.

Fraud Protect Officer at Wiltshire Police, Becky Grist, told us the criminals will put a panic into their victims to exploit them.

"Police and the bank will never ask you to take money out. They will never ask for your bank details over the phone. If this happens, hang up," she said. "Never give any of your details."

It's believed that £122,000 was lost in Wiltshire to courier fraud last year, but it's thought the crime is underreported.

Becky said: "I believe we don't hear half of the offences that have happened with courier fraud and I don't want people to be ashamed or embarrassed."

She added that there is no stereotype of victim for the crime, saying it can happen to anyone.

Becky assured us they can support us with protecting our accounts, if we report concerns to them. But it can be the after effects of the crime that do the most damage.

"It's the lack of confidence I see, and people just lose that and they don't want to do their everyday things, get out and about in the community and that deep sense of you cannot trust anyone at all really upsets people.

"So it does leave a lasting impact on victims, but you're not alone and we will do everything we can to help and combat this awful fraud."

Becky added that Wiltshire has a dedicated team of detectives who will continue pursing fraud offences.

We can report fraud crimes via Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040. If a crime is happening, we should dial 999.

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