This week we will be posting advice on what to do if you are targeted by criminals carrying out courier fraud.
Courier fraud is when criminals contact victims by phone pretending to be a police officer or bank official. To support this claim, the caller might be able to confirm some easily obtainable details about the victim such as their full name and address.
Victims are then asked to co-operate in an investigation by attending their bank to withdraw money or foreign currency from an exchange, or purchase an expensive item to hand over to a courier.
At the time of handover, unsuspecting victims are promised that the money they’ve handed over or spent will be reimbursed but in reality, there is no further contact and the money is never seen again.
The most important thing you can do, if you’ve been a victim of courier fraud, is to report it to Action Fraud. This is crucial to help police forces build a picture of this type of crime.
You can make a report online at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. Call 999 if someone is on their way to your house to collect money and/or valuable items.