Police are urging everyone to speak to older family and friends about the risks from fraud – after three people received scam calls in south Cumbria in recent days.
Older people were targeted in Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands, with one woman handing over £2,500. The other victims did not hand over any money.
On each occasion the fraudster calling pretended to be a police officer.
Detective Constable Claire Keyes said: “The type of fraud used is called 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.
“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 added: “Questions are then asked by the fraudster to `fill the gaps’ in their knowledge and then requests are made for money to be sent electronically or for cash to be withdrawn.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.
“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.”
The effect on people targeted is not just financial loss, with victims, sometimes elderly, losing trust in people contacting them.
Police officers and staff are constantly working across the county to raise awareness of this issue.
DC Keyes added: “These fraudsters target some of the most vulnerable in our society.
“They are also very friendly, persuasive and persistent. They sound completely believable.
“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.
“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.”
Please remind older friends and relatives not to be rushed into doing anything and to always remember: organisations such as banks and the police would NEVER:
- Ask for your bank account details or PIN number over the phone.
- Ask you to withdraw or transfer money.
- Ask you to download anything onto your device.
- Ask you to lie to your bank.
- Ask you to purchase gift cards or other high value items such as mobile phones, jewellery or gold bullion.
- Ask you to hand over any of the above to a courier or taxi or post them to any address.
If people have doubts about the person they are speaking with, they should put the phone down.
As fraudsters have been known to keep the line open after a victim has hung up, they should either wait five minutes or use a different phone to contact the bank or the police using a trusted number.
They must never use a number provided to them by the caller.
The non-urgent number for police is 101. Dialling 159 from any phone will allow you to say the name of the bank you wish to speak to, and you will be put through.