Police authorities are issuing a stark warning after members of the public lost more than £19.6 million to courier fraud in the past three months. The victims, often elderly pensioners, have fallen prey to criminals posing as police officers or bank representatives, who claim that the victim’s account has been compromised by fraudsters.
These fraudsters then manipulate the victims into transferring money or purchasing gold bullion and jewellery under the guise of aiding a fake investigation. In many instances, the criminals themselves pose as couriers to collect the valuable items from the victims’ addresses. This type of crime is commonly referred to as courier fraud. In some cases, the criminals have even physically visited victims’ homes, impersonating police officers to collect money, jewellery, and bank cards.
