Stafford couple conned out of thousands in fake police officer scam
An elderly couple from Staffordshire have been conned out of thousands of pounds by fraudsters posing as police officers seven days before Christmas.
The scamsters struck on Friday when they called the woman at her home in Stafford and said they worked for Greater Manchester Police.
They told the woman they were investigating after another person claimed they were caring for an elderly couple at that address.
In order to facilitate the enquiry, the caller said they would need the woman to pay for it.
When she questioned this, she was told to call 192 and she would get through to the fraud squad at Greater Manchester Police.
The pensioners then visited their banks and building societies around the Stafford area and withdrew a "large quantity" of cash. The caller had requested £50 notes – and when the woman called back they asked her for the serial numbers of some of the notes.
The woman was then asked to put the cash in a clear plastic bag and a black man posing as a police officer arrived at their house to collect it.
It is not known whether they arrived in a vehicle or by foot, or whether he was dressed in uniform or posing as an undercover officer.
Police have not disclosed the total amount of money stolen.
Detective Inspector Steve Ward, from Staffordshire Police's fraud and financial investigations team, said: “Neither police nor bank officials will ever ask you to transfer or withdraw money from your account, purchase anything or hand over your personal details or passwords.
"Staffordshire Police do not use this number to contact anybody as it is for calls into Staffordshire Police only.
“If you believe you are being targeted by a scammer, hang up the phone and use a different phone line to call Action Fraud or the police on 101, as scammers have a way to stay on the line and will pretend to be the police when you call back. If you don’t have access to a different phone line, wait for a period of time and try calling a family member or friend first to make sure the scammer is no longer on the line.
“Always question suspicious phone calls and report them to Action Fraud or the police.”
Anyone with any information should call Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 12 of December 19, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
If you think you or someone you know has been defrauded, you can report it to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040.
