Cruel scammers pretending to be police officers have fleeced an 85-year-old Chichester woman out of £12,500. Now police are again reminding residents to be alert to scammers pretending to be officers on the phone.
The woman who lives near Chichester was called on Wednesday, May 3, shortly after 8am from a man claiming to be from the Metropolitan Police fraud squad who said that her bank card had been copied and she needed to withdraw £5,000.
She went to her bank, withdrew the cash and handed it to a courier who arrived at her house during the afternoon. The man then called her back on Friday, May 5 and asked her to withdraw £7,500 and again hand it to a courier, which she did.
Then on Sunday May 7 she received another call, however felt suspicious and told a friend who reported it to police.
Detective sergeant Graham Leaney said: “We want to raise awareness of this scam and would urge people to be vigilant. The police would never make calls like this and would never ask for you to withdraw money from an account. Under no circumstances should you withdraw money and hand it over to a courier, if you do receive a call like this please report it immediately.
“I urge anyone reading or hearing this message to pass it on to any friends and relatives who may not be aware of this particular type of fraud, to prevent any vulnerable friends or family members from becoming victims.
“We want to encourage everyone to continue to resist these callers, so if you have any information, whether you have received similar calls or know someone who has been a victim of this crime, contact police online quoting Operation Edisto.”
