Arrests made after woman in 80s conned out of £6k in courier fraud scam

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Friday, 13 January 2023 13:17

Police officers investigating a courier fraud scam which saw a woman in Shropshire defrauded out of £6,000 have arrested three men in connection with the incident.

The incident happened in Shrewsbury on 29 December, when the woman, aged in her 80s was called by a number of people claiming to be from New Scotland Yard. The callers asked the victim to attend her bank and withdraw the cash to assist with an investigation into counterfeit notes being used in the bank.

The woman attended her banks and withdrew £6,000 which she gave to a courier by way of a confirmed password who came to collect the cash.

Following an investigation, on Wednesday 11 January three men were arrested in London on suspicion of fraud by false representation and have been brought to Shropshire and remain in custody.

Detective Inspector Matt Keeble said: “This was extremely upsetting for the victim who lost a significant amount of money at the hands of fraudsters pretending to be from the police, who continued to prey on individuals, particularly the elderly and the vulnerable.

“These criminals’ stories are often easily believable and they will put extreme pressure on victims to convince them to withdraw or transfer money under the guise of helping the police which of course, people want to do.

“These are despicable crimes which often have a devastating impact on victims, and I hope Wednesday’s arrests show that we’re determined to catch those responsible and will do everything in our power to bring them to justice.”