
Police put out urgent warning over scammers pretending to be... the POLICE: Brits conned out of £1,000s in just 24 hours - here's how to keep yourself safe
Police in Northamptonshire have issued an urgent warning after two residents were cruelly tricked out of thousands of pounds by scammers posing as officials from a bank and the Met Police.
The alarming reports, both made on Monday, are believed to be part of a courier fraud operation - a type of heartless scam where fraudsters impersonate banks, police officers, or other official bodies to steal money and personal details from unsuspecting victims.
In both cases, the victims were contacted by what police describes as 'convincing' callers who persuaded them to hand over confidential information and large sums of money before a so-called 'courier' was dispatched to collect the cash or items.
The force's Economic Crime Unit has now issued a stark warning to the public to remain vigilant, particularly urging people to speak to elderly or vulnerable family members.
They also implored people to remember that genuine callers would never ask for bank details or card details, or ask anyone to withdraw cash, transfer funds, purchase expensive items, or ask someone to play a part in an undercover investigation.
Detective Sergeant Matt Crick said: 'In both these reports, the callers were taken in by what sounded like convincing scenarios – one involving the caller's bank, and the other from people pretending to be police officers – and have ended up losing thousands of pounds to criminals.
'Crimes like this cause deep distress to victims, who often feel embarrassed that they believed what they were being told, but offenders take care to make their requests sound both convincing and urgent.
'I want to stress that the police, nor any financial institution, would call you out of the blue and ask you for your bank cards, cash or any financial details.
'If you receive an unexpected call from someone claiming to be from the police, ask for their collar number then hang up, wait five minutes and then call 101 to verify or report what has happened.
'You will hear a pre-recorded operator message at the start of your call – if not, hang up again and use a different phone if possible.
'We know courier fraudsters often target people in the same area over a number of days, to make the collection of any money or bank cards easier for them, so we are urgently asking people to be alert to this sort of crime, including talking to elderly or potentially vulnerable relatives, friends and neighbours to help people spot and avoid such scams.'
It comes after a Chinese student in Northern Ireland was conned out of £200,000 in 2023 after two men posing as Beijing police officers threatened her with arrest if she did not pay up.
After the transferal of funds, the woman never heard from the men again.
Detective Superintendent Richard Thornton said at the time: 'This is a really despicable, calculated crime.
'These fraudsters contacted the student online, and even went as far as dressing in uniforms claiming to be officers from 'Beijing Police'.
'These fraudsters went to great lengths to make themselves appear genuine, but that's the last thing they were.'
And in October, urgent warnings were being circulated after a man dressed up as a traffic warden tried to scam a woman out of £4,000.
The victim - who had just parked her car near a hospital - was told she must hand over her bank card or she would be fined.
Moments later, the fraudster opened the car door and jumped out before making a run for it with the motorist's card.
Police said that soon after, the woman received a message from her bank saying that a £4,000 withdrawal had attempted to be made on her account. The suspicious bank had fortunately stopped the transaction.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
22 minutes ago
- BBC News
Four arrested in Lincoln money laundering and drug raids
Four men have been arrested on suspicion of money laundering and supplying Class A drugs after police raided businesses and residential flats in men, aged 43, 44, 47 and 26, were arrested after Lincolnshire Police searched Lincoln Barber Shop, Toby's Barbers and a block of flats on the High Street on also identified seven men who they believed to be working for less than the minimum part of the investigations, Lincolnshire Trading Standards also seized illicit vapes and tobacco from Vape Express. The force added that the information about the underpaid workers has been shared with His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary for further Fire and Rescue also carried out safety checks on the buildings and found the roof spaces from a business had been knocked through to the residential flats said if there was a fire, there would be nothing to stop it spreading. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.


The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Timeline of deadly plane crashes involving UK flights
The Air India crash on Thursday was one of the deadliest incidents in history involving a UK flight. Here is a timeline of some of the previous worst crashes involving flights to or from UK airports. – June 1967 A British Midland flight crashed in Stockport, a short distance from Manchester airport, carrying holidaymakers returning from Majorca, Spain. The incident killed 72 people. – November 1967 All 37 people onboard Iberia Airlines flight 062 from Malaga, Spain, to Heathrow died when it crashed into Blackdown Hill in West Sussex. – January 1969 Fifty people died when an Ariana Afghan Airlines plane crashed on approach to Gatwick airport. – June 1972 A British European Airways plane crashed in Staines, Surrey, shortly after taking off from Heathrow airport. All 118 passengers and crew died. – August 1985 A British Airtours plane bound for Corfu, Greece, caught fire on the runway at Manchester airport. Eighty people escaped but 55 were killed, mostly by smoke inhalation. – December 1988 All 259 passengers and crew and 11 people on the ground were killed when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded above the Scottish town of Lockerbie 40 minutes into its flight from London Heathrow to New York. It remains the UK's deadliest terrorist atrocity. Former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is the only man convicted in relation to the bombing. – January 1989 Forty-seven people were killed and 67 were seriously injured when a British Midland 737 plane crashed while trying to make an emergency landing at East Midlands airport following an engine fire. It struck the M1 in Kegworth after failing to reach the runway.


The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Three teenage girls plead guilty to killing of 75-year-old man in north London street
Three teenage girls have pleaded guilty to the 'senseless' killing of a 75-year-old man in a street attack in north London filmed on a mobile phone. Fredi Rivero, a Bolivian national, was attacked by the teenagers, aged 15, 16 and 17, in Islington on 27 February, and died in hospital the next day. Rivero, who has been described as a 'much-loved family man', was near a bus stop on Seven Sisters Road when the girls got off a bus and surrounded him. His glasses were stolen, and he was pushed, shoved, kicked and punched while one of the teenagers filmed the incident on her phone. Police officers later recovered CCTV footage of the assault in which the 17-year-old girl could be seen punching Rivero in the head, causing him to fall backwards. He was found unconscious by police with a severe head injury and in cardiac arrest at 11.25pm on the night of the attack. DI Devan Taylor from Scotland Yard said: 'Mr Rivero was a much-loved family man who died in a truly tragic incident. I know how much his death has impacted those close to him and the wider community. 'I would like to offer my heartfelt sympathy to Mr Rivero's family for their loss and express my admiration for the dignity they have shown throughout the investigation. I also wish to thank the members of public who went to Mr Rivero's aid as he lay injured. 'The young defendants have now accepted they were responsible for the killing of Mr Rivero, in what was a senseless and completely out of the blue attack on a lone, elderly man. The age of the defendants adds to the devastating nature of this incident and they will now have to deal with the enormity of their actions.' Appearing before the Old Bailey via video link, the teenagers, who cannot be identified because of their ages, pleaded guilty to manslaughter. They will be sentenced by judge Judy Khan KC on 5 September. The victim's daughter, ex-wife and cousins were in court for the hearing. Khan ordered reports and remanded the defendants into custody, to be sentenced on 5 September.