Phone fraudsters continue to target vulnerable people in Cumbria – and officers are asking people to raise the issue with friends and relatives.
People such as older members of the community can often be the victim of crimes where people use phones, often landlines, to pose as officials to get at their cash.
This scam often fits the pattern of fraudsters pretending to be officials, such as bank fraud teams, police officers or HMRC officials.
The fraudsters often request bank details, money to be sent electronically, cash to be withdrawn at the bank for collection by a courier or expensive items to be bought for collection at a later time.
Recently, a man in his nineties was persuaded to drive across the county to hand over money.
Fran Henderson, a Cumbria Police specialist in preventing fraud, said: “The fraudsters who carry out
these offences are very persuasive, very friendly and extremely good at making you believe their story.
“We need people to speak to older relatives, neighbours and friends who may not see our warnings and stress they should be suspicious of any call they are not expecting.
“If they have any concerns that the person on the phone may be a fraudster, people should put the phone down.
"As fraudsters have been known to stay on the line, please wait five minutes and only when you hear the dial tone should you contact the police on 101 for advice and guidance. Alternatively, call the police from a different phone. ”
The key advice
Your bank, other agencies and the police would:
- Never ask you for your bank account details or PIN number over the phone.
- Never ask you to withdraw money and send it to them via someone calling at your house – such as a courier or taxi – or by bank transfer or by any other means.
- Never ask you to send your bank cards or any other personal property to them via courier, taxi or by any other means.
- If you have any doubts about the identity of the person that you are speaking with, put the phone down and attend the bank or police station in person, wherever possible, to discuss the call you have received, or call a trusted number for the bank or police using a different telephone than the one that you have been contacted on.
- It’s recommended you wait at least five minutes and make sure you can hear a dialling tone before you call, as there have been cases of fraudsters keeping the line open after a victim has hung up.
If you think you have been the victim of a fraud you can report this to police on 101. Always use 999 in an emergency.