Courier scams in Warwickshire con 16 people as £40,000 is lost

More than a dozen local people have lost more than £40,000 to courier fraud. Warwickshire Police revealed that in the past year, 16 reports have been made in the county.

There was an average loss of £2,617 per victim. Data from Action Fraud has revealed that nationally, people in their 80s are the most likely to be targeted by criminals who carry out courier fraud.

They use a variety of different tactics, officials say. Scammers often pretend to be police officers or bank officials and trick people into handing over money, valuables or bank cards, which are collected from their home address, often by couriers.

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It said the victim may also be encouraged to hand over their bank cards and PIN numbers, as well as high-value items such as jewellery, watches and gold. There have been examples of victims also being forced to go out and buy items such as gold and jewelery from legitimate retailers on behalf of the criminals.

Police are keen to address the dangers of courier fraud to the community. Detective Sergeant Paul Hainsworth of Warwickshire Police’s economic crime team said: “These types of criminals prey on some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

“If you have elderly friends, relatives or neighbours, please talk to them about the dangers of courier fraud and urge them to be vigilant. The important thing to remember is that the police or your bank will never call you to ask you to transfer or withdraw money.

“They will never send someone to collect cash or cards from you. If in doubt, hang up and use another phone to call us on 101. Remember that criminals can keep the line open, so it’s important to use another phone.”

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