Women tricked into handing over £9,000
CCTV CLUE AFTER ‘COURIER FRAUDSTERS’ TARGET ELDERLY RESIDENTS IN COUNTY TOWN
THREE women lost almost £9,000 to fraudsters pretending to be police officers.
The women, from the Melton area and believed to be elderly, received calls from someone pretending to be from the Metropolitan Police on Thursday, July 28.
The caller told the women they would be sending an officer to their homes to collect the money later that day. One victim, who is in her 70s, handed over £2,000 when the scammer arrived at her home in Melton, while another woman, this time in her 80s, also in the town, was tricked into giving £3,600 to the man.
A third victim gave £3,200 when the man visited her home in Thorpe Satchville.
A fourth woman, in her 70s, received a call from the fake officer but did not answer the phone when he called back a second time and did not lose any money.
Police have now issued a CCTV image of a man they hope to trace.
Detective Constable Rob Pountney, from the force’s economic crime unit, said: “As a result of inquiries carried out so far, I believe the man pictured may have information about these incidents. I would like to speak to him, so if you know who he is – or indeed that person is you – then please get in touch.”
Police refer to the scam as “courier fraud”. Typically, perpetrators contact their victims by telephone and claim to be police officers or bank officials investigating a crime or suspicious activity relating to their victims’ accounts.
After trust has been gained, the fraudster will persuade them to go their local branch and take out a large sum of money from their account. The fraudsters then send someone to collect the money from the victim’s home.
Previously, Paul Wenlock, also from the force’s economic crime unit, told the Mercury: “This type of offence is of great concern to us.
“Suspects are targeting, in some occasions, elderly or vulnerable people. They sound genuine and gain the trust of the victims.
“The police or banks would not contact people in this way. If you get a call like this, hang up. If you need to contact your bank to check, wait five minutes as fraudsters can stay on the line even after you have hung up, or use a different line altogether.
“Your bank cards are yours and never let them be used by others. We are asking people to remain vigilant.
“If you have elderly neighbours or relatives who don’t access our website or social media sites, please advise them of these incidents. At times the fraudsters use local taxi firms to transport potential victims to their banks. We would ask taxi companies to be mindful of this and if they have any suspicions to contact the police immediately.”
You can pass on information by calling police on 101 and quoting reference 22*436562 or 22*436186 (both Melton) or 22*436478 (Thorpe Satchville).