Police warning over phone scam

A WARNING has been issued following a series of courier fraud scams in Gloucestershire.

The police are urging people to be vigilant after residents have been called by fraudsters pretending to be police.

The Cheltenham dialling code, 01242, has recently been targeted with several reports made to police. There have also been reports in Cinderford and Gloucester.

On each occasion the fraudster has claimed to be a police officer from the “serious fraud squad”.

They said they were either investigating corrupt staff at the victim’s bank or fraudulent card activity.

In a statement Gloucestershire Constabulary said: “They will often ask the victim to hang up and dial 999 to confirm they are speaking to a legitimate police officer.

“However, this is part of the scam as the phone line is kept open and the victim ends up talking to another fraudster who is also involved in the con.

“In this type of scam victims are asked to withdraw cash, which would then be collected by a fake police courier on the victim’s doorstep, or asked to send it to an address via post.

“Others are instructed to transfer funds into a fake police bank account.

“The fraudsters are manipulative, and victims are often told to not tell their friends or family about them ‘helping’ with the investigation.

“This type of scam is known as courier fraud, and the average age of a victim of this crime in Gloucestershire is 79.”