Police warn of courier con after fraudsters target Telford woman
Impostors claiming to be from the Met Police and National Criminal Fraud Agency are pretending to be police officers in an attempt to defraud people in a scam known as courier fraud.
A woman in her 30s almost fell victim to the fraudsters in Telford on Saturday.
She was encouraged to withdraw an amount of cash from her bank account after being told her national insurance number had been stolen.
They then requested she buy Google vouchers with the cash, but she became suspicious and hung up.
Detective Inspector Emma Wright, of West Mercia Police, said: “This type of fraud often targets older and more vulnerable people but as this incident highlights we need to let everyone know it is around.
"Please share these warnings about the bogus callers to relatives, friends and neighbours who may not have heard about the local telephone scam in operation.
“Always remember that no police officer from any force or department will ever ask you to hand over money or transfer funds, regardless of their name or unit.
“These scams can be extremely convincing and manipulative. The fraudsters may give (alleged) crime numbers, investigation details, and job titles.
"They will always claim that the transaction must be done in secret. The fraudsters condition their victim not to trust bank branch staff, which can make it hard for those staff to help.
“These calls are not genuine and payments should not be made. No legitimate bank/building society, police officer, or business will ever phone you to ask you to give them your card, your PIN, or your cash.
"Don't trust anyone who calls you about your bank details. Always hang up and wait 10 minutes to ensure the call has disconnected before making another call."
People are asked to report any incidents to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040.
