Wiltshire warning over high-value scam using courier

The scammers sound "very professional", police said

A "high-value scam" involving a courier is being used against vulnerable people, police have warned.

Wiltshire Police said it involves a phone call from a fake police office or a bank worker, and a courier being sent to the victim's home.

Three people in the Warminster area have already been taken in by the scam, the force said.

"The police will never ask for your bank details over the phone," warned PC Chris Hemns.

"Victims are receiving a telephone call from someone selling a story of them being police officers or bank workers trying to look at either fake notes being passed, and they're after your help, or they say they are police officers who are investigating someone that's been arrested who has a very similar name to yours, and they've got a bank card in your name," he added.

"This is termed courier fraud because they will send someone to your house to collect the money or your bank card."

'Stop and think'

PC Hemns told BBC Radio Wiltshire that anyone who took a phone call like this should stop for a few moments and ask themselves if it sounded genuine.

"They [bank staff] may ask security questions, as a lot of banks do, but they would never ask you to draw out money or hand over money or hand over bank cards," he said.

The force said people targeted by the scam should ask for the collar number of the officer, and call them back after a five-minutes using 101 - not the number they have provided.

The same would apply to a call pretending to be from a bank - people should call the bank back via their main telephone numbers.

Wiltshire Police said the people behind the scam are "professional and persuasive" and may already have some of the personal data of the people they target.