Thames Valley Police|

-Safety Advice-
Thames valley Police is warning residents to be vigilant following a recent incident of Courier Fraud.
On Wednesday 18 December, an elderly female resident in Sandhurst was repeatedly phoned by a male from 02070976716 (a London based number) claiming to be from the lady’s bank, stating that her bank account was overdrawn and that she was required to make immediate payment of £1600.00 to clear the debt.
It is probable that the scammer elicited the lady’s address details during the phone calls, as later  in the evening a male then called at the lady’s home address claiming that he was there to collect 3 separate signed blank cheques as a way of paying her debt.
The woman fortunately didn’t open her front door, rather she phoned her elderly brother who lived nearby and who attended at which point a suspect described as been an Asian man was seen to walk away from the lady’s front door.
If ever you receive unsolicited calls from telephone numbers you don’t recognise it is always worth checking the number on line, via Google or similar as there are a variety of sites that can inform you where the call is coming from.  The calls the lady received came from a phone number that is already listed on the “Who-Called-Gov.uk”  website as “Very Dangerous” as it has been reported as the source of other similar scam calls.
Scammers frequently emphasise the need for the victim’s discretion and tell them they cannot speak to friends or family due to it being part of an ongoing investigation, and tell them they cannot even speak to staff at their bank as they are not trustworthy and are being investigated. This is designed to isolate the victim.
To ensure you do not fall prey to this type of scam, BE REASSURED AND REMEMBER  that in no circumstances would any bank, or the police ask you to take such actions. These types of request will only come from a fraudster.
Under no circumstances divulge your 4 digit PIN (Personal Identification Number) to anyone.
Thames Valley Police is calling on friends and family to help tackle the problem by talking to elderly or vulnerable friends and relatives, assuring them that;
They should never deal with cold callers either on the phone or in person no matter how polite or friendly they seem. Saying “No thank you” and shutting the door or hanging up the phone is not rude.

Their bank, the police or anyone legitimate will never send a courier to their home to collect bank cards, cash or cheques and they will never ask for your PIN number. ONLY FRAUDSTERS WILL DO THIS.

Legitimate callers will never try to rush you, scare you, or force you into anything. If you feel scared or pressured at any point, hang up or shut the door and report what’s happened.

Use a phone answering machine to screen calls,  and consider blocking/ barring calls from numbers that are listed with connections to scams or frauds.

If you receive this type of call, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or via their website. In an emergency dial 999.

Please feel free to circulate this message and advice to friends on social media.

For more information visit Thames Valley Police protecting your home section of the website
www.thamesvalley.police.uk/advice/protecting-your-home-and-belongings/

If Better Home Security,  Improved Community Spirit & Neighbourliness and Helping the Police to reduce local crime, is important to you, consider joining Neighbourhood Watch. Information available on their website www.tvnhwa.org.uk

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