People are urged to be extra vigilant amid a spate of reports that fraudsters are impersonating police officers. The crime, known as 'Courier Fraud', has seen elderly victims hand over thousands of pounds in cash after being told they must cooperate with an undercover police investigation into their bank.
Fraudsters posing as cops have told the victims their bank has been issuing fake bank notes – and that as a customer they are required to withdraw bank notes and hand them to a courier, so that the notes can be checked by police. They are told they will be reimbursed but in reality the person who collects the cash is a fraudster who then disappears with the money.
During a two-week period in January, Nottinghamshire Police received 34 reports of courier fraud attempts, with six people losing a combined £72,900. Retired Steve Westby, of Radcliffe-on-Trent, was among those targeted by the fraudsters. He did not fall for the scam - but he could see how others have.
