Scammers going door-to-door impersonating Surrey Police officers
We're being urged to look out for elderly relatives and neighbours following a spate of courier fraud and distraction thefts
Scammers are going door to door in parts of Surrey pretending to be police officers.
The real Surrey Police tell us there have been a number of incidents of Courier fraud and distraction thefts.
These cases have involved vulnerable or elderly residents being targeted by people impersonating Surrey police officers.
The individual then informs the victim that someone has been fraudulently using their bank card. The ‘police’ will then ask for financial help to arrest the suspects.
Out of the 23 offences recorded since January of this year, nine have resulted in the victim losing money. On a few occasions, the victim physically withdrew cash and gave it to the suspect/courier in person.
The latest variation is where the scammer contacts you and says your bank account has been taken over and you need to transfer all the funds into a ‘safe account’. Of course, the new account is operated by the scammers, who then steal the funds.
Surrey Police have described the outfits worn by these scammers as 'makeshift' and comprise of a hi-vis jacket but no other uniform.
Inspector James Green is asking people to look out for elderly relatives and neighbours and also has this advice for residents:
"For anyone who has police attending their door ask for identification, look at things like their personal radio and the equipment they're carrying.
"If you feel uncomfortable letting an individual into your home , if you don't believe they are police, don't let them in.
"If it is a genuine police call we will completely understand and try to make contact another day."
Courier fraud: conning people out of PINs and credit card details
In most cases of courier fraud, a fraudster phones their victim and claims to be from their bank, the police or other law enforcement authority. They then con the victim into revealing their PIN and credit or debit card details. Sadly, the most common victims of courier fraud are the elderly.
Examples of courier fraud
A scammer calls you, claiming to be from your bank or a police officer. They tell you either that:
• A fraudulent payment has been spotted on your card that needs sorting out
• Someone has been arrested using your details and cards
You may be asked to call your bank using the phone number on the back of your card. This convinces you that the call is genuine. But the scammer has kept the line open at their end, so when you make the call, you're unknowingly connected straight back to them or their friends.
They’ll either ask you for your PIN or ask you to key it into your phone. No bank or other legitimate service will ever ask you for your PIN.
The scammer then sends a courier or taxi to pick up the card from your home. Even the driver may not know they’re being used as part of the scam.
Once the scammer has both your card and PIN they can spend your money.
A different version of this scam is where you’re contacted and told there’s a corrupt member of staff at your bank, post office or bureau de change and the police need your help to identify them.
They ask you to withdraw a large sum of your money, which the police or bank will mark, then put back into the banking system. They say this will help them identify the corrupt person. Once you hand the cash over, the scammers simply take it.
Another example is when a fake police officer phones or approaches you and asks you to buy an expensive watch or other high-value item, to try to find out if counterfeit goods are being sold.
Once you’ve bought the item, the scammer tells you to hand it to a taxi driver for transfer to the police. The expensive item is, of course, taken instead to the scammer’s partner.