Elderly Melksham woman falls victim to courier fraud, tricked into handing over cash to a scammer.
The scammer tricked her into taking money out, and a man came to her house. She gave him the cash, her card, and PIN. She contacted her bank quickly and also Wiltshire Police.
They canceled her card before any more money vanished. Police are now actively investigating this incident. A detective said this happens often, and it’s called courier fraud.
People pretend to be cops or bank workers, tricking you into handing over money. Sometimes, they want your cards, PINs, or jewelry. Remember, the police or your bank will never ask for this; they will never send someone to collect your cash.
Any request for your PIN is a scam. If someone claiming to be police calls, hang up and call 101 to check if the call was real. If you think you are a victim, report it to Action Fraud.
You can visit their website or call 0300 1232040. Cancel your card right away if you gave it to someone. Police warned about this scam before in Wiltshire.
In December, a pensioner lost €5000 after callers said they were London police officers. Last September, a person lost £6000. Last May, they got many reports in Salisbury.
The scammers said they were with “The Flying Squad,” “The Met Police,” or “Bourne Hill station.”