Courier fraud

Sometimes, callers pretending to be from a financial organisation or a building society convince the other person to give card details over the phone and send the card and money through a courier. 

How Does It Happen?

Such frauds have become prevalent where the victim gets a call on their phone (mobile or landline) from someone impersonating a genuine police officer. 

They claim they are calling as a part of the investigation process to inform the victim their account has been compromised and their bank was distributing counterfeit currency. The target is guided to withdraw money from their pension or savings account and transfer it to the police safe. 

Then, the victim gets a courier to their address to send the card, PIN, and the withdrawn money. 

The caller uses various methods like asking the victim to call 999 or putting the call through the police switchboard operator to reassure them that they are talking to genuine law enforcement or training officers. 

How To Protect Yourself?

• The police or bank executives will never ask you to verify your account details, ask for your PIN or seek credit card details. 

• If you call your bank, the fraudsters may stay on the line to check your response; you should hang up the phone and use alternative numbers to call them.

• Do not hand over your debit or credit cards to anyone you do not trust. You can hand it over to the financial institution, or you should destroy it if it is cancelled.

How To Identify It?

• If someone claims to be from a bank or the police and seeks your accounts, personal information, or PINs to verify your identity.

• If you call any such caller and there is no dial tone.

• If they try to tell you, someone will pick up the card from your house to save you from the trouble of going to the authorised institution. 

• If you get a call on your landline or mobile by someone who claims to be from your bank and says the systems are involved in fraudulent transactions, or they tell you the card is due to expire or needs replacement. 

You should immediately report it to the police if they ask you to enter the details of other accounts or if they promise to collect your card through courier. 

Once they get all the information like address and bank details, they can use your details to conduct identity theft or use the card to withdraw money. If you suffer any such fraud, report it to the regulatory agencies.