Shrewsbury pensioner conned out of £6,000 by fake 'Scotland Yard officers'
Three men have been arrested after a Shrewsbury woman in her 80s was defrauded out of £6,000 by fraudsters pretending to be from New Scotland Yard.
The incident happened on December 29 when the woman was called by a number of people claiming to be from the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police.
The callers asked the victim to attend her bank and withdraw the cash to assist with an investigation into counterfeit notes being used in the bank.
The woman attended her banks and withdrew £6,000 which she gave to a courier by way of a confirmed password who came to collect the cash.
Following an investigation, three men were arrested in London on Wednesday on suspicion of fraud by false representation. They have since been brought to Shropshire and remain in custody.
Detective Inspector Matt Keeble said: “This was extremely upsetting for the victim who lost a significant amount of money at the hands of fraudsters pretending to be from the police, who continued to prey on individuals, particularly the elderly and the vulnerable.
“These criminals’ stories are often easily believable and they will put extreme pressure on victims to convince them to withdraw or transfer money under the guise of helping the police which of course, people want to do.
“These are despicable crimes which often have a devastating impact on victims, and I hope Wednesday’s arrests show that we’re determined to catch those responsible and will do everything in our power to bring them to justice.”
The force is now urging people to let their elderly relatives know that the police or banks will never:
Contact you out of the blue and ask for your personal details, including your PIN number, password or account details
Ask you to transfer money into another account for ‘fraud’ reasons
Ask you to withdraw cash and hand to someone for safe keeping, not even a police officer
Ask you to purchase high value items such as gift cards
Send someone to your home to collect cash or other high value items, bank cards, account details or PIN numbers.
They have also issued guidance on how to protect yourself from fraud:
If you are unsure whether someone on the phone is genuine, hang up and then use a different line to call the organisation they are purporting to be from using a number from the phonebook or internet to verify their identity
Don’t give out your personal information to anyone over the phone, including your PIN number and bank account or card details
If you have given out your personal banking details to someone over the phone or have given someone your card details, contact your bank immediately to cancel your card.
If you have agreed to attend a bank for a police officer, or are in the process of meeting a courier, call West Mercia Police on 999.
If you have been a victim of a telephone scam, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or at actionfraud.police.uk
For advice on scams, contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133. Always call 999 in an emergency.
