Elderly Holbeach scam victim is reimbursed by quick-acting police

A Holbeach pensioner who was duped by money scammers has had all her cash reimbursed.

Earlier this month, the elderly victim was targeted by fraudsters who convinced her that her bank account had been compromised. The woman in her 80s was told she needed to withdraw a sum of money and post it to an address in London.

Eventually she realised she had fallen for the scam and contacted police, who made swift contact with Royal Mail to prevent the money from being delivered.

Officers were able to recover and return the full amount, and enquiries on the incident are still ongoing and safeguarding measures are now in place to help protect the victim.

South Holland Inspector Nick Waters said: “I am pleased we were able to return this large sum of money to the victim and that’s thanks to the attending officer’s hard work and prompt co-ordination with Royal Mail. Safeguarding and support has now been put in place to prevent any further targeting of the victim”.

What is courier fraud?

Courier fraud is when criminals cold call victims impersonating banks or a police officer, convincing them to hand over their cash, bank cards or any other high-value items to a courier who has been sent to their home. In most cases, the criminals will claim that they are conducting an investigation, often saying it involves counterfeit money

Another tactic being used by criminals is to instruct the unsuspecting victim to purchase high-value items such as jewellery or gold. If you receive a call like this, hang up immediately.

Report it

Remember, your bank or the police will never call you to ask you to withdraw money for them to send it to another location. They will also never ask you to verify your personal details or PIN by phone or offer to pick up your bank card by courier.

If you receive an unexpected call, hang up and use another phone to call back to confirm their identity. If you’re ever in doubt, contact them directly on a different line or report the incident to police by calling 101.

If you think you have been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately. For further crime advice, visit www.lincs.police.uk/reporting-advice/fraud-and-scams/ or www.actionfraud.police.uk/