PC 21072 Johns and PCSO 40369 Knight will be at the Bridge Street Evesham branch of HSBC at 10:00am on Friday 24th March 2023. Please drop in to ask any questions you may have relating to Fraud advice.
If you are unable to make it – please take a minute or two reading the following advice relating to a common fraud and ways to prevent it from happening:
There is a recent trend for a criminal to telephone a home and say they are a police officer from a UK police force or from New Scotland Yard, for example, and that the victim’s bank account has been compromised. The victim is then instructed to visit their bank and withdraw thousands of pounds in cash because the notes are claimed to be forgeries and to deliver them to a courier who will call at their house and prove legitimacy by using an agreed password.
If you feel you are being targeted by such a crime please – Hang up the telephone. The simple fact and the only thing to remember is that no Police officer, legitimate bank/building society or business will ever phone you to ask you to give them your bank details, or your PIN, or hand over your cash in the way described above.
Each of these cases discovered is being thoroughly investigated and the Police have a positive record of tracing these gangs and arresting them.
However, to help them help you, the public are urged to get in touch with friends and family to warn them of the risk and to explain what to do in the event of such a bogus call. These scams can be extremely convincing and manipulative. The fraudsters may give (alleged) crime numbers, rank and titles and investigation details. They will always claim that the transaction must be done in secret and condition their victim not to trust bank branch staff, which can make it hard for those staff to help.
While it is difficult to tell how genuine these calls are, they are all, without exception, people pretending to be Police officer.
Don’t trust anyone who calls you about your bank details. If you want to check they are legitimate, find their number via directory enquiries and call them back.
Use a different telephone to make sure the line is clear. If they are genuine, you should be able to get through to them. You can also check what they are saying is true with your bank.
Scams can be very elaborate, very convincing and cruel. If you think someone is trying to scam you, hang up and tell someone straight away. Don’t be pressured. Give yourself time to stop and think.
Please remember the Police will never contact you asking for your bank card or cash. If someone does, it’s a scam – provide no details and hand nothing over, hang up and report it immediately to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040 unless you are in immediate risk or feel threatened, in which case always call 999.
You can find more information on fraud from this website:
https://www.westmercia.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/fa/fraud/