An elderly Melksham woman has fallen victim to a courier fraud scam after being tricked into handing over a large sum of cash.
The resident was contacted by someone who claimed to be from the police saying they were investigating money being taken from her account.
Believing the call to be genuine, she was persuaded to withdraw money from her bank before handing it over to a man who arrived at her home. She also gave him her bank card and PIN.
Fortunately, the woman later contacted her bank and Wiltshire Police, and her card was cancelled before any further transactions could be made.
Wiltshire Police have launched an investigation and are urging residents to stay alert to similar scams.
Detective constable Rachel Davies in the Fraud team said, “This is a type of courier fraud, where victims are duped into handing over money by suspects, often involves the impersonation of police officers or bank staff.
“The victim may also be convinced into handing over their bank cards, PINs, or high value items such as jewellery or watches.
“It is important to remember that your bank or the police will never call you to ask you to verify your personal details or PIN, and we will never send a courier to your home to collect your cash, bank cards, PINs or any other valuable goods.
“Any requests to do so are part of a scam.
“If you’ve been called by someone claiming to be from the police, you can always hang up and call back on 101 to check the veracity of the call.
“If you suspect you’ve been a victim of courier fraud, report it to Action Fraud by visiting actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 1232040.
“If you’ve revealed your bank details or handed over your card to a courier, call your bank straight away to cancel the card.”
