Warning after two people from Northampton scammed by con artists pretending to be police or from a bank

Northamptonshire Police received two reports yesterday (Monday May 19) from people in Northampton who reported losing money to people who had called them pretending to be from official bodies – one from a bank and the other from the Metropolitan Police.

Both reports are believed to be courier frauds, a crime which usually involves fraudsters calling potential victims, claiming to be from their bank, the police, or another law enforcement authority, with a view to getting them to hand over confidential details, bank cards and PINs, cash or other expensive items that are then collected by a ‘courier’.

Police say investigations are now underway into both reports, and officers are sharing prevention advice to help protect others from this type of crime.

Officers from the Force’s Economic Crime Unit are urging people to remember that genuine callers would never ask for bank details or card details, or ask anyone to withdraw cash, transfer funds, purchase expensive items, or ask someone to play a part in an undercover investigation.

Detective Sergeant Matt Crick said: “In both these reports, the callers were taken in by what sounded like convincing scenarios – one involving the caller’s bank, and the other from people pretending to be police officers – and have ended up losing thousands of pounds to criminals.

“Crimes like this cause deep distress to victims, who often feel embarrassed that they believed what they were being told, but offenders take care to make their requests sound both convincing and urgent.

“I want to stress that the police, nor any financial institution, would call you out of the blue and ask you for your bank cards, cash or any financial details.

“If you receive an unexpected call from someone claiming to be from the police, ask for their collar number then hang up, wait five minutes and then call 101 to verify or report what has happened. You will hear a pre-recorded operator message at the start of your call – if not, hang up again and use a different phone if possible.

“We know courier fraudsters often target people in the same area over a number of days, to make the collection of any money or bank cards easier for them, so we are urgently asking people to be alert to this sort of crime, including talking to elderly or potentially vulnerable relatives, friends and neighbours to help people spot and avoid such scams.”

Report any suspicious contact, or crime, to Northamptonshire Police by calling 101, or going online at www.northants.police.uk/RO. In an emergency, always call 999.

If you think you have been a victim of fraud you can also report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre, by calling 0300 123 20 40 or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.

More advice and tips to prevent fraud can be found on the police website here.