POLICE are urging people to make themselves, and any vulnerable loved ones, aware of the signs of courier fraud following reports of fraudsters pretending to be police officers.

On Saturday January 25, officers received reports that a woman in her 80s received a phone call from a man claiming to be a police officer at a station based in Rotherham.

The woman was told that somebody had attempted to take money out of her account and to help the officer in his investigation into the incident would need to go to her local bank and withdraw £4,500 – before handing it over to a courier who would attend her home address.

Thankfully, employees at the bank refused to withdraw the money due to the woman not having sufficient ID.

The victim was told by the scammer not to tell anybody else about the ‘investigation’ however, she told her daughter who reported it to police.

A police spokesperson said: “We have received another report of a similar fraudulent call from a person pretending to be police officers made to South Yorkshire residents in the last week and our fraud team is now warning people to be aware of this particular type of scam.”

Courier fraud involves victims receiving a phone call from a criminal pretending to be from the police or another official organisation, such as a bank.

The fraudster claims there is an issue with the victim's bank account or requests the victim's help in an ongoing bank or police investigation. Victims are then asked to withdraw a large sum of money which will be collected by a courier for 'evidence'.

Fraud Protect Officer, Charlotte Platts said: “Courier fraud not only results in the loss of significant amounts of money but can have a real impact on the victim’s health and wellbeing.

“Sadly, the victims often targeted in courier fraud are the elderly so please read these tips and make sure to share them with your loved ones.”

Protecting yourself from Courier Fraud

The police or your bank will never call you to ask you to verify your financial details by phone. Hang up if you get a call like this.

If you do get a call and need to call your bank back to check, wait five minutes. Find a number for the bank you know and trust, from the back of your card or a statement. Fraudsters have been known to stay on the line after you hang up so when you ring your bank back you are connected back to the scammers.

Don’t let a stranger take your bank card from you. You should only ever have to hand it over at your bank.

If you are a victim of fraud please report it to Action Fraud, either online via: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/reporting-fraud-and-cyber-crime or by calling them on 0300 123 2040. If you’ve given your bank details over the phone or handed your card to a courier, call your bank immediately and ask them to cancel your cards and put a block onto your account.