Crime prevention advice issued following series of courier fraud incidents in Petersfield

Officers investigating a number of courier fraud incidents in Petersfield are issuing crime prevention advice and asking people to stay vigilant to possible fraudulent phone calls.

Over the past two weeks, we have seen a concerning rise in courier fraud incidents reported in the Petersfield area.

Courier fraud is when criminals target potential victims, often those who are elderly or vulnerable members of the community, by cold calling them and pretending to be police officers, a bank or another law enforcement authority. 

The caller will explain that they need the victim’s help in a secret investigation that they are running and once ‘trust’ has been established, they ask the victim to provide their PIN and credit card details, or to attend their bank and withdraw thousands of pounds in cash.

The bank cards or cash are later collected from their home address by a courier, who is part of the criminal group. Often, the victim will be given a ‘password’ to exchange with the courier, to make them believe this is a legitimate and secure transaction.

Sadly, this money will then often be lost to the fraudsters.

Between Thursday 28 August and Thursday 11 September, there have been six reported incidents where elderly victims have been targeted in Petersfield and have lost, on average, £6,000.

Bedford Road, Noreuil Road, The Spain, Heath Road and Wetherdown have all been visited by criminals pretending to be couriers appointed by the ‘police’.

We are asking people that when answering the phone to a stranger, please take a few minutes to think about what you are being asked. 

If they are asking for bank cards/details, cash, jewellery, watches or gold to be handed over, or for you to transfer money from your bank account and into another ‘safe’ bank account, then Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary are 100% confident that this is a fake call which should be terminated immediately.

You may be asked to call your bank using the phone number on the back of your card, or to hang up and call 101 or 999 to verify an officer’s identity. This convinces you that the call is genuine, but the scammer has kept the line open at their end, so when you make the call, you are unknowingly connected straight back to them or their friends.

If you receive a call like this, please wait 15 minutes after hanging up before calling the police or your bank, or use a different phone, to ensure that the line is no longer open.

We are aware that not everyone reads social media, but if you have elderly or vulnerable members of your family then please share this information and give the following advice:

- Your bank or the police will never ring you to tell you they are coming to your home to pick up money or your card. Never hand these over to anyone who comes to collect it.

- Criminals are experts at impersonating banks, trusted organisations or the police. They will try to rush and panic you into responding to their requests. It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore these requests.

For general fraud prevention advice please visit Action Fraud, or find more information on our website at Door-to-door and courier fraud | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary

If you think you maybe have been a victim of courier fraud, or have received a call of this nature, please report this to us by calling 101, or go online to report at Report a crime | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary