Courier fraud: Phone scam where fraudsters pretend to be police hits North Yorkshire

People are asked to be vigilant when contacted by strangers over the phone. Credit: PA

People in North Yorkshire are being told to be extra vigilant amid a spate of reports that scammers are impersonating police officers.

Victims are called by fraudsters pretending to be from the Metropolitan Police and informed that someone has attempted to use their card to purchase expensive items.

They are then instructed to withdraw all their money to be collected by a police officer for 'safe-keeping.'

The victim may be further convinced the call is genuine, as the fraudsters will tell the victim to call 999 to check they are genuine.

However, they do not clear the line so the victim, who thinks they have dialled 999 and are speaking to the police, is still speaking to the fraudsters.

They are also told they may be challenged at the bank as to why they are withdrawing their money. The scammers coach their victim on what to say - to claim they are paying for building work or buying a car.

Often, the victim is called by the fraudster prior to attending the bank and is told to keep their phone on whilst they are in the bank. The victim withdraws their money, often tens of thousands of pounds, which they take home.

Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, is raising awareness of the crime in a new campaign. Credit: Action Fraud

The fraudster, posing as a police officer, then attends the home and takes the money, using a password agreed between the fraudster and the victim.

In 2021 alone, 3,625 people were victims of courier fraud in the UK, with losses totalling more than £15.2 million.

"This is a sophisticated fraud perpetrated by experienced criminals who convince the victim their bank account is under threat and they need to act quickly to safeguard their money and to assist a police operation to catch criminals," said North Yorkshire Police’s Financial Abuse Safeguarding Officer Andy Fox.

"To be clear, a police officer will never get in touch and advise you to withdraw, transfer or pay money and neither will a bank or a building society.

"If you receive a call out of the blue by someone claiming to be from the police asking you to withdraw or transfer your money, this is a scam and you must terminate the call immediately," he continued.

"If the person you are talking to ever asks you to lie to the bank or the police, it is a scam.

"If you suspect you’ve been scammed, report it to the police by calling 101 and we will be able to support you as well as protecting others from falling victim to the same fraudsters."