On Friday 15 July 2022, Steve Kelly and Rob Slade from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate’s Protect and Prevent team visited 14 businesses in Sevenoaks.
They discussed courier fraud with staff, which is a scam in which mostly elderly victims are duped into handing over large sums of money to criminals.
It usually involves someone impersonating a police officer or a bank employee asking the victim to withdraw money to help with an investigation, followed by a courier travelling to their home to collect the cash.
‘Unfortunately, elderly people are the most frequently targeted by fraudsters, but many do not regularly use the internet and are thus unaware of the tricks criminals use to try to steal their hard-earned money,’ said Steve Kelly.
‘We are grateful to the businesses and charity shops in Sevenoaks that helped us share our crime prevention messages with their customers, as together we can make it much more difficult for criminals to succeed.’
‘Fraudsters are constantly looking for new ways to exploit people and steal their money.
‘Our message is to remember the ABC rule to help protect yourself and others from fraud: never Assume someone is telling the truth or Believe what they say unless you are certain of their identity, and always Confirm the details they have provided.’
