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Man arrested in connection with courier fraud investigation in Andover

Officers arrested a man following a report of a suspected courier fraud incident in Andover.

 

We were called at 7.38pm on Monday 9 June by a woman who said a man had turned up at her address asking for her bank card.

 

The victim had been called earlier that afternoon by someone who claimed to be from the fraud team at Nationwide, and kept her on the phone for several hours to query a payment that they said had been set up on her account.

 

During the course of the phone call, a man knocked at her door asking to take her bank card as part of those enquiries.

 

The woman declined and was able to call the police. Officers attended and a 25-year-old man from London was arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation.

 

He remains in police custody while further enquiries are carried out.

 

Advice

 

The number of reports we receive about courier fraud tends to fluctuate, so it is important that everyone is aware of the steps they can take to protect themselves from this type of crime.

 

It typically involves fraudsters calling victims and claiming to be from a bank, the police, or another law enforcement agency.

 

There are different versions of the scam, such as the fraudster claiming that someone has been arrested using the victim’s details and bank card, or that they are investigating a corrupt member of staff at the victim’s bank, or that a fraudulent payment has been spotted on the victim’s account.

 

The objective is to get the victim to reveal their PIN on the call, and then a courier comes round to collect the card.

 

Please see below for a number of tips to keep yourself safe from this type of scam:

 

  • Police officers, banks and other organisations such as HMRC will never call people in this way and ask you to withdraw money or disclose personal or financial information. If someone does do this, please hang up – it will be a scam.
  • If someone calls claiming to be a police officer, ask for their ID number and police force. Wait at least five minutes before verifying details with the appropriate Force by calling 101 – do not use any number they provide unless you can confirm it as genuine. Ensure the call has disconnected as scammers will often leave the line open or use another phone altogether. A genuine police officer will not mind waiting while you check their identity (it’s a sign that it is a scam if the person becomes pushy or stresses urgency). 
  • Take a step back from everything and take a few moments to think. Speak to a trusted friend or relative for their opinion before agreeing to anything. The fraudster’s tactic is often to keep the victim busy talking and isolated. They stress that they should not tell anyone else about the call.
  • Your bank or the police will never send a courier to your home to collect cash, bank cards, PINs or other valuable goods.
  • If you are a friend, relative or carer of someone you think might be vulnerable to this type of scam, please speak to them about this advice. You might be the only person who can stop them from being scammed.

    • If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, report it to us by calling 101. If a crime is in progress, dial 999. 

     

    More information can be found here: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/fa/fraud/personal-fraud/door-to-door-courier-fraud/

     

     

     

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    Christopher Gregory
    (Police, Senior Corporate Communications Officer, Hampshire and Isle of Wight)
    Neighbourhood Alert Cyber Essentials