Kate Thwaites, the Cambridge Community Safety/Crime Reduction Officer, has issued the following warning about scams via the Constabular’s eCops system:

A fresh warning is being issued over a courier fraud scam which targets the elderly and vulnerable who receive a phone call from fraudsters saying they are from their bank or the police. Several people in the Peterborough area have fallen victim to this scam in the last few days.

Tricksters tell the victim they are calling because there has been suspicious activity on their account and advise them to call the bank from the number on the back of their card. But when they hang up and call their bank or police, the fraudster manages to stay on the line and even though a new number is dialled the victim is still on the phone to the fraudster.

The con artist then gains their trust and asks them to either say or key in their PIN number before telling them their card will be collected and a replacement delivered. A courier calls later that day to collect the card.

You can hear an example of this type of call by watching the following film clip at Herts Police website

http://www.herts.police.uk/hertfordshire_constabulary/latest_news/news_articles/260115_-_1819.aspx <http://www.herts.police.uk/hertfordshire_constabulary/latest_news/news_articles/260115_-_1819.aspx>

Variations of this scam include people being sent to high street stores to purchase expensive items, which are later collected by fraudsters.

For further information regarding the latest scams please visit<http://www.consumberhub.org>

 

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