Telephone fraudsters target Shropshire residents
Shropshire’s senior police officer today praised residents for realising they were being targeted by telephone fraudsters trying to obtain their bank cards.
Superintendent James Tozer was speaking after residents at four addresses in Shrewsbury last night received a phone call from a man claiming to be a police officer in London.
The bogus officer said two men had been arrested for fraud and it was found their bank cards had been cloned, compromising their accounts. He asked for their card PIN numbers suggesting they use their telephone keypad to register the number.
The caller also asked that they immediately call the number on the back of their cards for advice from their banks, clearly intending not to terminate the original call thereby intercepting the new call being made to the bank.
Four people from Shrewsbury reported the attempted scams to police last night. In one case, the call was terminated by the householder when she was asked for her bank details. In another, although details were given, the would-be victim was suspicious and called her bank on another phone to cancel her cards. One resident said he did not have a credit card and hung up.
In the fourth incident, the caller said he would send a courier round to collect his compromised credit cards and although someone arrived at the address, nothing was handed over.
Superintendent Tozer said similar telephone scams were taking place in many parts of the country, including the Warwickshire and West Mercia Police area.
“In these four incidents reported from Shrewsbury last night, the householders became suspicious and took correct action to prevent them falling victim.
“They either refused to give banking details over the phone or having done so, became worried, and used another phone to contact their banks to cancel the cards.”
He said it was important people were made aware of the telephone scam and the methods used by the fraudsters. “I would urge people to be alert and never to give out banking details to anyone phoning them.
“In nearly all incidents, the fraudster cold calls a person, who is usually elderly, claiming to be a police officer conducting investigations relating to the fraudulent use of their bank cards.
“They usually state they are a police officer from London and sound very convincing. The offender asks the householder to confirm the call is genuine by terminating the conversation asking them to return the call on a 'trusted number ', such as that on the back of their bank card. However, the offender keeps the line open by not replacing the receiver. When the householder dials the number, the line is still open to the offender. They elicit personal banking information from the victim, including PIN numbers and address details.
“These details have been used to either empty bank accounts or the offender instructs the victim to withdraw money from their account and arranges for a taxi or a courier to collect the money or bank cards for 'safe keeping' and further investigation by the alleged fraud team.”
One recent incident in Shrewsbury had resulted in £300 being withdrawn from an account after a courier collected the victim’s credit card.
“The police are investigating all of these incidents but it is absolutely vital people are aware what’s happening and do not divulge personal or financial details to strangers who either phone them or come to their home,” he added.
