Victim conned out of nearly £50k by scammers posing as Bedfordshire Police

Criminals have been targeting the elderly and vulnerable, pretending to be from the force before asking the victim to withdraw sums of cash. The money is then handed over at a later date to couriers who attend the victim’s address to collect the goods.

And just this week alone in Bedfordshire, one victim lost £13,000 while another was scammed out of £48,000 in two cases of courier fraud.

A common theme is where suspects tell victims they have people in police custody for cloning the victim’s debit cards, they then ask the victims for their bank details and pin numbers.

Criminals may also convince the victim to transfer money to a 'secure' bank account, hand over their bank cards or give the criminals high value items, such as jewellery, watches and gold.

Another tactic used is called ‘open phone’ where the victim is persuaded to stay on the line to the criminal whilst they go to withdraw money or go to a jeweller. This stops the victim interacting with anyone else or having the chance to think about what is really happening.

Detective Inspector James Day, from Bedfordshire Police’s serious fraud investigation unit, said: “Unfortunately this is a very common crime type in which the perpetrators prey on the elderly and vulnerable. They end up losing valuable amounts of money and savings, which in turn leads to upset and worry.

“Please remember that the police will never ask you to withdraw money for them or call you to ask for your bank details, and never ever share your debit or credit card with anyone else. They will also never ask for your jewellery to keep it safe.

“We would advise that you always check the caller’s credentials. Never click any email link you are unsure of or respond to any unsolicited emails or calls.

“If you take a call from someone who you believe is not genuine, hang up, and contact either Action Fraud or the police. Where possible use a different phone to make the call, in case the fraudulent caller is still on the line.”