New warning to families of vulnerable people after another case of courier fraud in Hartlepool

Officers received a call from Barclays Bank in Hartlepool on Friday afternoon after staff made routine checks when a customer attempted to withdraw thousands of pounds.

They contacted police who spoke to the gentleman, who is in his 70s, and he confirmed he had had a call on his mobile phone from very convincing fraudsters, telling him he was victim of a scam which was being investigated by police, but that they would need him to withdraw cash to help their inquiries.

The callers phoned the man to ensure he was on his way to the bank, and again while in the premises, however, thanks to the swift action by staff, no money ended up in the scammers’ hands.

Cleveland Police have reissued an appeal for everyone to speak to older or more vulnerable friends and relations about courier fraud and to stress two simple messages:

• Police or banks would NEVER ask you to withdraw cash to give a courier to pick up.

• If you receive an unexpected call where someone asks for your bank details or for you to remove cash, put the phone down and tell a trusted family member or friend.

Cleveland Police continues to work with forces and financial institutions nationally, as well as the National Crime Agency and NERSOU (the North East Regional Special Operations Unit) to counter this activity and a number of arrests have been made in connection with this kind of fraud.

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