We are investigating reports of courier fraud in the Lincoln, Grantham and Gainsborough areas where all victims sadly lost a sum of cash.

Incident 342 on Tuesday (25 October) was reported from a village outside of Lincoln, where a woman in her 70s received a call from fraudsters purporting to be police officers from Stamford. The victim was advised someone had been arrested and they needed her help to progress their investigations.

The victim was instructed to withdraw cash and then told to read aloud the bank note numbers over the phone. A courier was sent to the victim’s house at approximately 5pm to collect the cash.

Last Friday (21 October) in the Grantham area, we received a report that a man in his 60s was contacted by a fraudster claiming to be a DC Brian 5062 from Hammersmith Police. The fraudster called from a withheld number.

The victim was told his credit card has been fraudulently used in the London area and they needed him to withdraw money that could be used to trace the person’s movements. This is in relation to incident 55 of 21 October.

On the same day in Gainsborough, a woman in her 80s, was called and visited by a fraudster who claimed to be a Superintendent Holland 632 from Leicestershire Police. This relates to incident 176 of 21 October. The fraudster posing as a Police Officer alleged someone has been taking money out of the victim’s account and believe some notes are fraudulent.

We are urging members of the public to share this information with their friends, family members and neighbours so we can prevent more people from becoming a victim of courier fraud.

What is courier fraud

Courier fraud happens when criminals cold call victims purporting to be a police officer or bank official, convincing them to hand over their cash, bank cards or any other high-value items to a courier that’s been sent to their home.

Fraudsters will often suggest some money has been removed from the victim’s account and that the staff from their local bank are being investigated. They may also suggest that an individual known to the victim has been arrested but the “police officers” need money for evidence.

Another tactic being used by criminals is to instruct the unsuspecting victim to purchase high-value items such as jewellery or gold. If you receive a call like this, hang up immediately.

Stay safe from courier fraud

Your bank or the police will never ask you for your PIN, bank card, or any other financial details. They will also never ask you to withdraw money or to buy items on their behalf to be picked up by a courier.

There are call blocking services available that can help screen out unwanted calls. If you receive an unexpected call, hang up and use another phone to call back and confirm the identity on a number you can verify yourself, not one given by the caller. Ask yourself, “how do I know they are who they say they are?”.

Report it

If you think you have been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately. You can also report this to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or online.

For further crime advice, visit our Fraud page on the website or visit Action Fraud.