A Bolton-le-Sands pensioner in her 80s was targeted in a telephone courier fraud banking scam earlier today, said police.
The woman, 81, received a call on Monday morning (February 16) from someone purporting to be a police officer from The Met.
The scammer told the woman that her grandson had taken her bank card and asked for her card details. The woman recognised that this was a scam, put the phone down and reported it to both the police and her bank.
The fraud attempt was one of three reported to police from across Lancashire.
The second report, from Padiham, came from a relative of a 99-year-old woman, again trying to obtain bank details. The woman told her relative, who made a report to us.
The third report came from a 77-year-old man who had received a call from someone purporting to be a police officer from The Met. He sent them money via a bank transfer and was told that someone would attend his address to collect his devices.
A spokesperson said: ‘’Enquiries into the reports are ongoing, but we wanted to make sure we told you about them as soon as we could, so that you can help us spread the message.
‘’We know that those most vulnerable to courier fraud may not be on social media, and whilst we are using offline methods to spread awareness, we also need your help.
‘’If you have family, friends or neighbours that you think may be susceptible to fraud, please remind them of the advice we are about to share with you, to help us ensure they don’t become a fraudster’s next victim.’’
Advice to stay safe from such fraud includes:
You never know who is on the other end of the line – just because someone knows your full name and address doesn’t mean they are who they say they are.
Your bank or the police will never call you and ask for personal information, including bank details or pin numbers. They will never offer to pick up bank cards or items from your address.
If you have any doubts that a phone call is genuine, hang up. Then, either use a different phone or wait 20 minutes before calling the police, Report Fraud or your bank. Sometimes, fraudsters will keep the line open waiting for you to use the phone.
You can install call blockers or register with a telephone preference service to stop unsolicited calls. Your telephone provider can assist with this.
If you feel worried or concerned about a call, tell the police or someone you trust.
If you think you, or someone you know may have been a victim of fraud, you can report it to us on 101 or Report Fraud on 0300 1232040.
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