Courier Fraud Alert
This week there have been several reports of courier fraudsters being active across the County, in particular Maidstone, Dartford and Gravesend.
The criminals were calling the victims and stating that they were the Police and that they needed them to assist with an investigation and wanted them to either withdraw money from their bank, as there was a problem with corrupt bank employees or that someone had been arrested with their bank card and required their card as evidence.
The criminals would tell the victim that they would send a courier to either collect the cash or the bank card(s). To make it seem more genuine they were encouraged to ring 999 but not to disconnect the call that they were currently on but of course, the criminals would still be on the line.
The Police will NEVER call you like this to collect your card or cash. Neither will your bank request that you transfer your money to a safe account. If you get a call like this, it is a scam.
REMEMBER the ABC of Scam Awareness:
- Never Assume or Believe a call is genuine and Confirm by calling back on a trusted number.
- Try to avoid using the same phone you were called on, as the criminals may be staying on the line.
- If another phone is not to hand, then wait 5 minutes and ring a family member or friend to ensure the line has been disconnected.