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Suffolk police are again urging residents to be cautious and aware of fraudulent calls reporting suspicious activity on their bank accounts and are appealing for residents to share crime prevention messages with elderly and vulnerable family members, friends and neighbours.
Between 28 and 29 January Suffolk Constabulary have received at least seven reports of residents in the county receiving calls, supposedly from a Suffolk or Norfolk police officer, reporting fraudulent activity on their bank accounts and urging them to withdraw substantial quantities of cash and bank cards to hand over to a courier.
Courier fraud is when a fraudster calls on victims purporting to be a police officer and convinces them that they are required to hand over money or bank cards for a police investigation to a courier who will collect it on behalf of the police.
The victims were from various areas including Woodbridge, Framlingham, Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury, and in some cases, victims were given police officers’ names and collar numbers to legitimise the request.
Detective Sergeant Jamie Adams, of Suffolk Constabulary’s Fraud Assessment Unit said: “These are crimes done by the absolute worst in society, preying on the vulnerable, the elderly, and those that trust services such as police and banks the most.
“The fraudsters contact them directly with key information, pretending to be officers, giving believable names, ranks, stations and collar numbers.
“This isn’t just vulnerable people; the victims we have seen are knowledgeable people but those responsible are professionals, they know what to say and are very convincing, preying on peoples fears of this very thing, of being conned out of their hard-earned money.
“Please share this important advice with your friends, your family and your neighbours and make sure they know what to do if contacted.
“Police would never call you and ask you to withdraw money to be collected by an officer nor would they ask you to transfer money into a different bank account.
“If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of the call please contact Suffolk police, ideally via another phone line or other method, to verify the details of the officer provided in the call.
“If you have elderly or vulnerable neighbours, friends or family, I would ask you to inform them of this guidance and to check with someone they trust if contacted in a similar manner.”
For more details about checking police officers’ identities, please visit: www.suffolk.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/fa/how-to-check-an-officers-identity/
If an officer needs to speak to you on the phone, they'll identify themselves clearly.
A police officer should never:
Previous release - 13 January 2025
Police are advising elderly people and their families to take extra care to avoid becoming victims of fraud.
Officers from the specialist Fraud Assessment Unit are investigating three incidents which occurred today and believe others have been or could be targeted.
In Bury St Edmunds, an elderly woman was assisted by staff after becoming confused when trying to withdraw a large sum of money from a local bank.
Another woman tried to withdraw £2,000 in Lowestoft and told bank staff she had received a random call from unknown people telling her she was being watched.
In Bury St Edmunds an elderly man tried to withdraw £5,000 from his building society account, telling staff he had been offered a painting by a stranger at a discounted price.
Police were alerted in all three cases and are now investigating.
Detective Inspector Rory Prior said: “These are despicable crimes as the perpetrators are preying on vulnerable people in a bid to cheat them out of their savings. We want to urge people not to respond to requests made over the phone to withdraw money or otherwise. Families should be vigilant in safeguarding elderly and vulnerable people. We are investigating these latest incidents and are dedicating specific resources to track down the offenders.”
Anyone with information about any of these cases or who fear they or their families are being targeted should contact us via www.suffolk.police.uk/tell-us or call 101.