Officers from Avon and Somerset Police have arrested two people after an elderly woman from Bath was conned out of thousands of pounds last Thursday.
The 78-year-old victim received a call on Thursday, 20th July, from a man posing as a police officer.
He convinced her to attend her bank and withdraw a large quantity of money and a courier called at her house to pick the money up.
The police were alerted to the incident and have made two arrests – a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of fraud by false representation and a 28-year-old man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud.
Acting Det Insp Dave Lewis said: “The two people have been questioned and released under investigation while we progress with our enquiries.
“We’d like to use this incident as a reminder to people to be wary of fraudsters posing as police, or in some cases utility company officials or banks, in order to con vulnerable people out of money.
“It’s also important people ensure their elderly friends and neighbours know what to look out for to avoid falling victim to a scam and have the confidence to challenge cold callers and check their authenticity.”
Avon and Somerset Police have issued the following advice, for things to look out for when you get an unexpected phone call:
- The caller doesn’t give you time to think, tries to stop you speaking to a family member or friend, or is insistent and makes you feel uncomfortable.
- The caller asks you to transfer money to a new account for fraud reasons.
- They phone to ask for your 4-digit card PIN or our online banking password. Even if they ask you to give it to them by tapping into the telephone keypad rather than saying the numbers out loud, this is a scam.
- They ask you to withdraw money to hand over to them for safe-keeping.
- They may say that you are a victim of fraud and offer to send a courier to your home to collect your cash, PIN, payment card or cheque book.
