Warning issued after Doncaster man loses over £7,000 in courier scam

On Tuesday (24 December), the man, in his 80s, received a phone call from an unknown number claiming to be a police officer at a station based in Doncaster.

The man was asked to help in an ‘undercover operation’ focused on employees at a local bank. He was asked to withdraw money and then hand it over to a courier who would attend his home address. He ended up being scammed out of £7,450.

A police spokesman said: “We have received five other reports of similar fraudulent calls from people pretending to be police officers in the last week. Our fraud team is now warning people to be aware of this particular type of scam.

“Courier fraud involves victims receiving a phone call from a criminal pretending to be from the police or another official organisation, such as a bank.

“The fraudster claims there is an issue with the victim's bank account or requests the victim's help in an ongoing bank or police investigation. Victims are then asked to withdraw a large sum of money which will be collected by a courier for 'evidence'.

Fraud Protect Officer, Charlotte Platts said: “Unfortunately, we have received several reports of this scam over the festive period. This scam can not only result in the loss of significant amounts of money but also have a real impact on the victim’s health and wellbeing.

“Please read these tips and keep an eye out for any signs of courier fraud.”

Protecting yourself from Courier Fraud

The police or your bank will never call you to ask you to verify your financial details by phone. Hang up if you get a call like this.

If you do get a call and need to call your bank back to check, wait five minutes. Find a number for the bank you know and trust, from the back of your card or a statement. Fraudsters have been known to stay on the line after you hang up so when you ring your bank back you are connected back to the scammers.

Don’t let a stranger take your bank card from you. You should only ever have to hand it over at your bank.

If you are a victim of fraud please report it to Action Fraud, either online via: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/reporting-fraud-and-cyber-crime or by calling them on 0300 123 2040.

If you’ve given your bank details over the phone or handed your card to a courier, call your bank immediately and ask them to cancel your cards and put a block onto your account.