Courier fraud: Phone scam where fraudsters pretend to be police soars in West Mercia
People are being told to be extra vigilant amid a spate of reports that scammers are impersonating police officers in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Herefordshire.
The crime, known as 'Courier Fraud' has seen the elderly and the vulnerable targeted in Ross on Wye, Shifnal, Meole Village in Shrewsbury and Wellington.
West Mercia Police are now urging people to pass on the information about bogus callers to relatives, friends and neighbours who may be at risk to such scams.
The recent trend involves the criminal calling a home and saying they're a police officer from a UK police force or from New Scotland Yard, for example, and that the victim’s account has been compromised.
The victim is then instructed to visit their bank and withdraw thousands of pounds in cash which they claim the notes are forgeries and to deliver them to a courier using an agreed password.
There are often variations of this scam.
Superintendent Ed Hancox from West Mercia Police advised: "Hang up the telephone.
"The simple fact and the only thing to remember is that no police officer, legitimate bank/building society or business will ever phone you to ask you to give them your bank details, your PIN, or hand over your cash in the way we've described above.
"I want to reassure the public that each of these cases is being thoroughly investigated and that we have a positive record of tracing these gangs, arresting them and sending them to prison."
He added: "However, to help us help you, I urge the public to get in touch with friends and family to warn them of the risk and to know what to do.
"These scams can be extremely convincing and manipulative. The fraudsters may give (alleged) crime numbers, rank and titles and investigation details.
"They will always claim that the transaction must be done in secret and condition their victim not to trust bank branch staff, which can make it hard for those staff to help.
"While it is difficult to tell how genuine these calls are, they are all, without exception, people pretending to be police officer.
"Don't trust anyone who calls you about your bank details. If you want to check they are legitimate, find their number via directory enquiries and call them back.
"Use a different telephone to make sure the line is clear. If they are genuine, you should be able to get through to them. You can also check what they are saying is true with your bank.
"Scams can be very elaborate, very convincing and cruel. If you think someone is trying to scam you, hang up and tell someone straight away.
"Don't be pressured. Give yourself time to stop and think."
Police say they will never contact you asking for your bank card or cash. In such instances, you should hang up and report it immediately to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040 unless you are in immediate risk or feel threatened, in which case always call 999.
Superintendent Ed Hancox continued: "Local residents can also sign up to Neighbourhood Matters - our community messaging service."
The service allows you to sign up for local police alerts to receive information about crime in your area, as well as to find out about drop-in sessions and answer surveys.