GMP ARE RAISING AWARENESS TO TRY HELP CURB COURIER FRAUD

The past week, Monday 4 April–Friday 8 April 2022, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have been supporting a national campaign to raise awareness and help prevent victims of courier fraud.

Courier fraud is when a scammer contacts the victim via phone pretending to be either a police officer or a member of staff from their bank. The fraudster may even give the victim another number to call or ask them to call the number on the back of their bank card, in a bid to convince them that they are genuine. However, the scammer will keep the line open at their end, so when the victim makes the call, they are unknowingly connected straight back to the scammer or one of their associates. The fraudster will then try to convince the victim to go and withdraw money or purchase an expensive item and hand it over to them, under the guise that they are helping with an investigation and will be reimbursed.

Between 10 February–5 April 2022, 10 incidents of courier fraud were reported in Greater Manchester. One involved the victim being called by a fraudster claiming to be a police officer. After asking the victim questions about their finances, the fraudster convinced the victim that they are required to assist with an ongoing fraud investigation and go to their bank to withdraw £7,500. They are not to tell the bank they have been contacted by the police and instead tell them the money is for home improvements. Once the cash was withdrawn, the victim was told they needed to go to the Post Office and exchange the money for euros, however this request was declined by the Post Office, so the offender instructed the victim to meet them and hand over the £7,500.

There have also been cases in Greater Manchester of offenders convincing victims that they need to help them investigate a business that is operating fraudulently by making a purchase from that business and then handing it over to the fraudster as ‘evidence’. In one instance, a victim was contacted on numerous occasions and told by the fraudster that he worked for a fraud prevention company. The victim was then manipulated into making several online purchases, which the fraudsters then collected from the victim’s address.

How can you protect yourself from courier fraud?

Remember that your bank or a police officer will never call you 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 like this.

If you need to contact your bank to check the call was legitimate, wait five minutes, as the fraudsters may stay on the line after you hang up. Alternatively, use a different line altogether to contact your bank.

Your debit or credit card is yours – don’t let a stranger take it off you. You should only ever have to hand it over at your bank. If it’s cancelled, you should destroy it yourself.

Detective Sergeant Stuart Donohue, of GMP’s Economic Crime and Cyber Team, said:

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“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.”