A fraudster posing as a police officer has scammed a victim out of £18,500.

The Borehamwood resident received a phonecall in April 2022, from someone claiming to be a police officer.

The 'officer' claimed to be investigating fraudulant activity on the victim's bank account, and asked them to withdraw money whilst checking the serial numbers on the notes.

When withdrawing the cash, the victim was instructed to stay on the phone and told to take the money to a nearby car park.

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This was then collected by a man driving a delivery van. This happened on two further occasions, in April and May 2022.

Hertfordshire police later investigated the fraud, and supported the victim.

After the case was referred to the Financial Ombudsman, the victim was refunded in full by their bank. 

Detective Inspector Pete Hankins said: “We have seen a reduction in the number of reports of this type of courier fraud over the last year, but we believe there is still a significant number of residents who are being targeted by this type of scam.

“Fraudsters use different stories to convince people they are genuine, the important thing to remember is that police officers or bank staff would never ask for people’s bank details, like a PIN, or for cash to be handed over.

                                                                                            

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"You should never give your bank details to anyone.

"Usually the intended victim realises the call is not genuine and refuses to part with their details or cash.

"However, these fraudsters can be very persuasive and insistent, which has resulted in some people falling victim to this scam and subsequently losing thousands of pounds from their accounts.”

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire police added: "If you receive a call you’re not expecting, you should be suspicious.

"The vital things to remember are that your bank and the police would:

  • Never ask for your bank account details or PIN number over the phone, so do not disclose these to anyone, no matter who they claim to be.
  • Never ask you to withdraw money and send it to them via a courier, taxi or by any other means.
  • Never ask you to send your bank cards, or any other personal property, to them via courier, taxi or by any other means."

Information regarding fraud can be reported online at at herts.police.uk/report or by calling the police's non-emergency number 101.

Anonymous information can be given by contacting Crimestopppers on 0800 555 111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org.