'Police fraudsters' targeting elderly and vulnerable reported in south Shropshire
Police officers in south Shropshire are warning residents to be on the alert for fraudsters posing as police officers.
West Mercia Police say they have number of reports in the Highley and Cleobury Mortimer areas of fraudsters claiming to be from various police services around the country.
Nicholas Nolan, Safer Neighbourhood Officer for Highley & Cleobury Mortimer, said: "The crime, known as ‘Courier Fraud’, has seen the elderly and the vulnerable targeted in the area and police we would urge everyone to pass on the information about bogus callers to relatives, friends and neighbours who may be at risk to such scams."
He said that the recent trend is for the criminal to telephone a home and say they are a police officer from a UK police force or from New Scotland Yard, Or actually from the bank itself for example, and that the victim’s account has been compromised. The victim is then instructed to visit their bank and withdraw thousands of pounds in cash which they claim the notes are forgeries and to deliver them to a courier using an agreed password.
"Hang up the telephone. The simple fact and the only thing to remember is that no police officer, legitimate bank/building society or business will ever phone you to ask you to give them your bank details, your PIN, or hand over your cash in the way we've described above," he added.
