Fraudsters posing as police officers have been contacting Hertfordshire residents in recent weeks.
Six residents in Watford, Hertford, Hitchin, and Royston were contacted by bogus callers posing as police officers asking them for their bank details. They were then asked to hand over their bank cards or money to a courier.
The scam involves a telephone call via mobile or a landline number, with someone posing as a police officer and informing the resident there has been fraudulent use on their bank account.
The victims were then then instructed to put their bank cards and/or money into an envelope and give them to a courier or taxi, which is sent to the house by the offenders to collect. If bank cards are collected they can be used later by the offenders to withdraw large sums of money.
The offenders also request people’s help in investigating the fraud and ask people to disclose their bank details, including their account and PIN numbers.
There have been six incidents reported to police since the start of December 2020. Victims in Hitchin, Hertford and Royston lost more than £8,000.
Detective Inspector Rob Burns, from the Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit, said: “Police officers or bank staff would never ask for people’s bank details, like a PIN. You should never give your bank details to anyone. Usually the intended victim realises the call is not genuine and refuses to part with their personal and bank details. However, these fraudsters can be very persuasive and insistent, which has resulted in some people falling victim to this scam and subsequently losing thousands of pounds from their accounts.”
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