Police warning over latest telephone scam targeting Flintshire residents

People in Flintshire are being warned about the latest telephone scam which has been reported to North Wales Police

The so-called ‘courier fraud’ occurs when fraudsters contact a victim by telephone purporting to be a police officer.

The scammer tells the householder their bank is producing fake banknotes and are then asked to co-operate in a police investigation,

The victim is told that police will send a taxi to their house to pick them up and take them to a bank to withdraw money.

Once the money is withdrawn a courier then arrives at the victim’s home address to collect the cash.

In the most recent case locally, police said the victim was told to wear gloves when handling the money. 

At the time of handover, unsuspecting victims are promised their money back.

Often callers will substantiate claims by confirming some easily obtainable basic details about the victim such as their full name and address.

The caller may also offer a telephone number for the victim to telephone or ask the victim to call the number on the back of their bank card to check that they are genuine.

In these circumstances, either the number offered will not be genuine or, where a genuine number is suggested, the fraudster will stay on the line and pass the victim to a different individual.

A spokesperson for North Wales Police Eastern Community Safety Team said, “Police officers will never phone you asking you to withdraw cash for your bank.”

Protect yourself

• Your bank or the police will never call you to ask you to verify your personal details or PIN by phone or offer to pick up your card by courier. Hang up if you get a call like this.
• If you need to call your bank back to check, wait five minutes; fraudsters may stay on the line after you hang up. Alternatively, use a different line altogether to call your bank.
• Your debit or credit card is yours – don’t let a stranger take it off you. You should only ever have to hand it over at your bank. If it’s cancelled, you should destroy it yourself.

Spot the signs

• Someone claiming to be from your bank or local police force calls you to tell you about fraudulent activity but is asking you for personal information or even your PIN to verify who you are.
• They’re offering you to call back so you can be sure they’re genuine, but when you try to return the call there’s no dial tone.
• They try to offer you peace of mind by having somebody pick up the card for you to save you the trouble of having to go to your bank or local police station.

How to report it

Report it to us online or call 0300 123 2040.

If you’ve given your bank details over the phone or handed your card to a courier, call your bank straight away to cancel the card.