Elderly man loses £12k in courier fraud scam in Petersfield
Residents urged to stay vigilant as scam involving fake police calls emerges
A man in his 80s from Petersfield lost £12,000 after falling victim to a courier fraud scam involving imposters posing as police officers.
The incident, which took place on 6th and 7th May, began with a call from someone claiming to be a police officer investigating a fraud at a local travel agency.
The fraudster convinced the victim to withdraw Euros worth £6,000 twice, with a courier sent to collect the cash each time.
Police became aware of the scam on 10th May after the victim realised he was defrauded and reported the crime.
Four other reports of similar scams have surfaced recently, including three in Petersfield and one in Winchester, though these victims escaped without financial loss after recognising the scam.
Barbara Bundy, Police Staff Investigator with the Economic Crime Investigation Team, stressed that real officers would never request money this way and advised residents to hang up immediately if they receive such calls:
“Courier fraud scammers prey on often vulnerable people to hand over their money. They sometimes claim to be police officers, or from a bank, or another local agency.
“To be clear, we will never call people in this way and ask them to withdraw money. If someone is doing so, then it is a scam.
“Please don’t speak to them. Hang up straight away.
“One concerning aspect of this incident is that the victim was told by the scammer to dial 999 while still on the call to verify the identity of the ‘officer’.
“The call did not disconnect and another scammer then came on the line and claimed that the first caller was genuine."
Other safety tips include discussing suspicious calls with trusted friends or relatives, as well as securing valuables and bank details at home.
If affected by such scams, residents should call 101 to report them, or 999 if a crime is in progress.