Police back national fraud campaign after scammer gets £7,500 from Wigan victim

Wigan Today reported yesterday on an incident involving a fraudster claiming to be a police officer.

After asking the victim questions about their finances, the fraudster convinced them to help with an alleged fraud investigation and withdraw £7,500 from a bank.

They were told not to say they had been contacted by the police and instead that the money was for home improvements.

The victim was told to go to a post office and exchange the money for euros. When this was declined by staff at the post office, the offender told the victim to meet them and hand over the money.

Ten incidents of courier fraud were reported in Greater Manchester between February 10 and April 5.

Courier fraud is when someone makes contact by phone pretending to be a police officer or bank worker.

They may give another number to call or ask them to call the number on the back of their bank card, to convince them they are genuine.

However, they will keep the line open at their end, so when the victim makes the call, they are unknowingly connected back to the scammer or an associate.

The fraudster will try to convince them to withdraw money or buy an expensive item and give it to them.

There have also been cases in Greater Manchester of people convincing victims they need to help them investigate a business operating fraudulently by making a purchase and handing it over to the fraudster as “evidence”.

In one instance, a victim was contacted several times by someone claiming to work for a fraud prevention company. They were manipulated into making several online purchases, which were collected from their home.

Det Sgt Stuart Donohue said: “Falling victim of a scam can be devastating – both financially and emotionally.

“GMP works hard to not only try to get victims back their money, but also ensure we reduce the number of victims we have and the number of individuals that become repeat victims, by sharing key steps we can all take to spot the signs of a scam and stop fraudsters in their tracks.

“Important to remember is that you should never share personal or financial information with someone you do not know or trust. If someone calls you claiming to be a police officer, ask for their ID number and police force then wait five minutes before ringing their local station – a genuine police officer will not mind waiting while you check.

"If you think you or someone you know has been a victim of courier fraud, please contact the police on 101 or call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.”

Advice from the police to protect yourself:

Your bank or a police officer will never call to ask you to verify your personal details or PIN by phone or offer to pick up your card by courier. Hang up if you get a call. Wait five minutes to contact your bank to check the call was legitimate or use a different line. Do not let a stranger take your debit or credit card. You should only hand it over at your bank. If it’s cancelled, destroy it yourself.