More Than £3.6million Stolen From Vulnerable People In Sussex Through Courier Fraud

Friday, 25 November 2022 06:00

By Dominic Kureen @WriteOnDom

Sadly, fraudsters are continuing to target some of the most vulnerable residents in Sussex through courier fraud.

Courier fraud is when a scammer contacts someone claiming to be from a reputable organisation like the bank or police, saying there has been fraudulent activity on your account or card which needs resolving.

Their objective is to obtain your cash, bank cards and valuables.

The fraudsters are very persuasive and use various tactics, including implying that bank staff are involved.

Op Signature, which is the force campaign to identify and support vulnerable victims of fraud, have received a spate of reports through to them in the past couple of months.

The overwhelming majority of the 543 reports of courier fraud referred to Op Signature this year have been women aged 75 or over.

Of those 543 cases, around a third (185) have suffered a financial loss which has seen fraudsters take more than £3.6million from their victims

In one case, an 80-year-old woman from East Sussex received a telephone call from a man claiming to be a police officer from another force. The caller claimed the victim’s bank account was at risk and that a member of bank staff was committing fraud against her account.

The victim was asked to assist with a fraud investigation by attending her local branch to withdraw £8,000 which would be collected by a courier later who would examine the notes to ensure they were not circulating counterfeit notes

The caller told the victim to claim it was for her grandchildren should bank staff question her request.

Thankfully when the victim was withdrawing the money the bank identified this was a scam, prevented her from withdrawing money and chatted with her about the scam.

Financial Abuse Safeguarding officer for Sussex Police, Bernadette Lawrie said:

“Behind all of the clever tricks and ever-changing narratives, there are a few basic recurring elements that are common across many frauds, including courier fraud.

“It pays to stop and think anytime you receive a request for personal or financial information.

"Remember, if you feel uncomfortable or unsure about what you’re being asked to do, contact your bank or financial service provider directly, using a number you trust, such as the one listed on your bank statements or on the back of your card."