Police have called on residents to remain vigilant amid a spate of courier fraud with criminals posing as bank employees, phone companies and even Police officers.
Victims have been visited by fraudsters, who claim victims’ accounts have been subject to fraudulent activity or are in danger of being closed and then request the victim to assist them with the ongoing investigation. Fraudsters then collect the person’s bank or computer details, or tell the individual to withdraw money from a cash machine.
The Economic Crime Unit advises that if anyone receives a call of this nature, they should not engage with the caller and hang up and reminds residents that Police officers, banks and other organisations such as HMRC will never call people and ask them to withdraw money or disclose personal or financial information.
Remember to take five:
Stop – take a moment to stop and think
Challenge – could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
Protect – Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.
Original article published by The News