Police have warned residents in Harrogate and York after seeing an increase in reports of courier fraud in the last week.
The fraud comes in many variations.
The scammer will phone the victim claiming to be someone official, like a bank manager, police officer or law enforcement agent.
The fraudsters aim to panic the victim by saying that something serious has happened, such fraudulent payment has been spotted on their card, or someone has stolen their identity.
The victim is instructed to ring the number on the back of their bank card, or to phone the police to confirm that the call is genuine.
However, when the victim hangs up, the scammer stays on the line, keeping the connection open.
If the victim immediately does as instructed and makes the call, it is the scammer who replies, pretending to be the bank or police.
He/she then elaborates on the alleged genuine issue.
The victim may be asked to disclose their PIN number and told that a courier will be sent to collect their card.
Or they could be told there is a corrupt member of staff at their bank, Post office or bureau de change, and they needed help with an undercover investigation to identify that person.
They might be asked to withdraw large sums of money and hand it over to the courier.
Some victims have purchased high value items and handed them over after being duped into believing that they are helping the police track down counterfeit goods.
A police spokesperson said:
“The bank or police will never ask for pin numbers; send couriers to collect bank cards; ask people to move money to another account; ask for help with investigations; or ask for cash or goods to be handed over.
“These scams can be intimidating, so do not engage and just hang up.
“To confirm the call is genuine, never ring back using a number given to you by the caller.
“Make the call from another phone or wait at least five minutes before making another call. This ensures the line is clear and cut off, so you will no longer be speaking to the scammer or an accomplice.
“Please remember that the only person that should have your card and pin-is YOU.”
There is further information available on the Action Fraud website. If a crime is in progress, please report it on 999.
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