Two men have been arrested in east London after posing as bank workers to trick victims into sending them parcels of cash in an elaborate two-year courier fraud case.
The men, aged 19 and 27, were arrested in Hackney by Northamptonshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit.
Police said the fraudsters, through various calls and discussions, persuaded victims to withdraw cash from their accounts and send it to an address as part of a fake investigation into corruption at their bank.
A string of addresses had received numerous parcels of cash which were sent by the victims over a two-year period, police said.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Rogers said: “Fraudsters often rely on the victims being too ashamed to come forward but I want to make it very clear that the only people who should be embarrassed are the criminals, no one else.
“We see huge individual losses of money as a result of courier fraud from people of all ages and we are working hard to tackle the offenders in order to bring them to justice.
“I just want to make it clear that if you are contacted by someone saying they are from your bank, even if they have all of your details, please put the phone down.
“If it is your bank they will be happy to make an appointment to see you in a branch of your choosing to discuss the activity on your account and they will never ever ask for money to be put in the post.”
The arrests were made in the Hackney area at the end of February, Northamptonshire Police said on Wednesday, and the two men have been released under investigation pending further enquiries.
It comes after four men were arrested in Islington following a police chase in June 2022 for similar courier fraud charges.
Subsequent searches of the property in Theberton Street found cash, expensive designer clothing, Rolex watches, a Mercedes Benz and an Audi, which were all seized by officers.
In total, they conned at least 60 vulnerable victims out of more than £290,000.
Courier fraud involves criminals telephoning a potential victim, claiming to be from their bank, the police, or another law enforcement authority, and tricking them into sending cash or revealing their PIN number, bank card and personal details.
The crime usually starts will an unsolicited phone call in which a victim will be asked to purchase high value items such as Rolex watches, withdraw cash or provide bank card details for collection from a courier.
Fraudsters will instruct victims not to tell any family or friends about what they are doing.
When carrying out courier fraud, criminals will request the victim hangs up the phone to ring their bank for confirmation while keeping the line open. The suspect then purports to be bank official and provides false confirmation.
Fraudsters will also plan for a courier to meet the victim to collect the item they have purchased.
