Urgent fraud warning from North Yorkshire Police after victim loses thousands of pounds

A resident of North Yorkshire has lost several thousand pounds after falling victim to a telephone scam from someone claiming to be a police officer, asking them to withdraw money which was then picked up by a fraudster claiming to be a "police courier"

In this case, the suspects claimed to have found bank cards in a store and convinced the victim that they were carrying out an investigation into fake money and that they should withdraw a large amount of cash, put it in a bag and someone would collect it.

They told the victim to verify them by calling 999 but the suspects stayed on line but the victim assumed they were talking to the police.

North Yorkshire Police have advised: “Please do not hand over any money or pass your bank details to anyone who calls on the phone or at your home.

“The police would never ask you for money.

“The police would never ask for your bank details in these circumstances.

“Criminals are experts at impersonating banks, trusted organisations or the police. They will try to rush and panic you into responding to their requests. It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore these requests

“If you’re contacted out of the blue, you can call us back to verify an officer, but please make sure the criminals are no longer on the line. Hang up and wait at least five minutes before you call , better still, use a different line or phone altogether if you can You could also ask a friend, neighbour or relative to help you.

"If you have been targeted by similar fraudsters, please call us on 101.

“If you have any suspicious people calling at your home, don't answer the door and call us on 999.”