Northamptonshire Police warns against courier fraud which targets the elderly

Specialist officers from Northamptonshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit are encouraging people with elderly relatives to speak to them about courier fraud.

Courier fraud comes in many forms and usually involves fraudsters telephoning a potential victim, claiming to be from their bank, the police, or another law enforcement authority. The most common forms of courier fraud are:

• Bank card expiry: Fraudsters claim to be from the victim’s bank and say their card is no longer valid. They ask for the pin number and then send a “courier” to collect the card before using it for fraudulent purposes.

• Purchasing high end items: The suspects pretend to be police officers and ask the victim to help with an undercover operation by purchasing expensive items like watches, jewellery, and gold. Once the item is bought, the victim will hand over the item to the criminal.

• Counterfeit cash/bank investigation: A person claiming to be a police or banking official informs the victim that they need to help with a banking corruption investigation. The victim is told to withdraw a large amount of money and the cash is picked up later by a courier to “check for fingerprints or to identify counterfeit bank notes”. Alternatively, the victim may be asked to package the cash up and send it by post to an address provided by the fraudster.

• Computer takeover: The fraudster telephones the victim, pretending to be from their internet service provider, saying that they have had an issue with their internet connectivity, and they are due compensation. The victim is persuaded to download a remote access application, giving the suspects access to their home computers. The fraudster persuades the victims into thinking that they have been paid too much compensation and the victims then withdraw cash to pay the money back, which is later collected by a courier.

Detective Constable Matt Curtis from the Force’s Economic Crime Unit said: “I want to start by saying that under no circumstances will a police officer or a bank ask you to withdraw money from your account, or transfer funds into another account for fraud reasons, nor would they ever ask you to become part of an undercover investigation. There are no exceptions to this rule.

“Unfortunately, these types of scammers often target elderly people so if you have elderly or vulnerable relatives, please have a talk with them about this type of fraud and how to spot the warning signs.

“Just having that conversation, especially if your loved-one is not particularly tech savvy, could stop someone from becoming a victim of a trust-eroding crime.”

Signs of courier fraud are:

• Courier fraud usually starts with an unsolicited telephone call to the victim.
• Typically, the suspect will pose as a bank official, police officer or a computer or utility engineer.
• Courier fraudsters will usually request the victim purchases high value items such as Rolex watches and gold bullion, withdraws cash or provides a bank card for collection from a courier.
• Fraudsters will instruct victims not to tell any family or friends about what they are doing.
• When carrying out courier fraud, criminals will request the victim hangs up the phone to ring their bank for confirmation while keeping the line open. The suspect then purports to be bank official and provides false confirmation.
• Fraudsters will also plan for a courier to meet the victim to collect the item they have purchased.

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