Police in Telford are advising the community to be on their guard following a reported courier fraud in the Arleston area.
A woman in her sixties was called by a man claiming to be a police officer at around midday on Thursday.
The caller alleged that the woman had been victim of a fraud and as part of an undercover operation, she needed to withdraw a large amount of money from her bank whilst remaining on the phone. Once she got home, she was told place it in an envelope outside her property where it would be collected by a courier.
Shortly afterwards a male came to the address to collect the money. He is described as a black man of a large build, who was wearing a high vis jacket.
It’s believed he may have been travelling in a blue Volkswagen Golf with a registration plate ending in RUU.
Detective Inspector William Scott from Telford Police Station said: “A thorough investigation is under way and enquiries are currently ongoing. If anyone witnessed any suspicious behaviour in the area around this time on Thursday, or has had any calls of a similar nature, please do get in contact.
Convincing and cruel scam
DI Scott added: “Unfortunately scams of this nature can be very convincing and cruel, and we are doing a lot of work with our partner agencies to tackle these offences. As part of this, we are asking the public to talk to people, particularly elderly relatives or neighbours, and to warn them about calls of this nature.
“If you think someone is trying to scam you, tell someone straight away. Don’t be pressured. Give yourself time to stop and think. And please remember that the police would never contact you asking for your bank card or cash. If someone does, it’s a scam – provide no details and hand nothing over, hang up and report it immediately.
“Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call West Mercia Police on 101, quoting incident number 106s of 18 May 2018.”
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