Warning after woman in King's Lynn conned out of £13,000 by fake police officer
The victim handed over cash after being told it was needed for a police investigation
Last updated 23rd Mar 2023
There's a warning about cold callers in King's Lynn after an elderly woman handed over £13,000 to a man claiming to be a police officer.
The victim, in her 70s, received a call on Tuesday (March 21) from a man claiming to be a detective. He urged her to withdraw money in connection with an investigation, which was then handed over the a courier who turned up to her home.
It's a case of courier friad, where a fraudster calls claiming to be in a position of authority, before tricking the victim into handing over cash.
Police are investigating what happened, but have issued the following advice:
-Never give out personal information about your bank account to anybody over the phone. Police and banks will never ask you to give out personal details such as account numbers or PIN numbers.
- If someone calls claiming to be a police officer, ask for their identification number and police force. Hang up and call 101 using a different phone. If you can't use a different phone, wait at least five minutes before calling back. A genuine police officer will not mind waiting while you check.
- Fraudsters will keep the line open and have been known to play ringtones, hold music and a recorded message down the phone so the victim believes they are making a call to a legitimate number. Ensure you can hear a dialling tone before calling police or use a friend or neighbour's telephone instead.
- If you have given out information which could compromise your bank account security in any way, call your bank to cancel your cards as soon as possible.
- Never hand over money to someone at the door to be sent off elsewhere