Police urge vigilance after courier fraudster steals £7,000 from Northumberland victim

Concerned staff from Barclays Bank in Hexham contacted officers at Northumbria Police on Thursday (August 10) after a customer tried to make a withdrawal just days after withdrawing £7,000.

When politely quizzed, the woman explained that the money was for her niece, but when worried staff persisted, it became apparent she had been contacted by a scammer claiming to be a police officer who was investigating fraudulent activity on her account.

When officers attended the branch and spoke to the woman, she told them a courier had attended her home address to collect the cash and take it for ‘safe keeping’.

An investigation has since been launched to trace the money and identify those responsible. A number of safeguarding measures have also been put in place to protect the victim.

Detective Inspector Sally-Ann Pallace, of Northumbria Police, has praised the swift actions of bank staff, and also issued a warning to others.

She said: “Cold-calls from fraudsters are increasingly common and they often prey on the elderly and the vulnerable, using coercion and manipulation to get their hands on people’s cash.

“In this case bank staff were vigilant, noticed something wasn’t quite right and acted on that gut feeling.

“Unfortunately it turned out the victim had already parted with a large amount of cash, believing she was helping police and truly afraid she would lose more money.”

She added: “This type of fraud is completely reprehensible, and we will do all we can to identify those responsible and will try and reunite the victim with her money.

“We’re also urging our communities to be aware that we would never cold call and ask for bank details, pin numbers, or ask someone to attend a branch and withdraw money. No reputable organisation would ever do this, and if this happens to you please report it to police or Action Fraud immediately.”

For help and advice on this type of fraud, please visit Action Fraud’s website.