Police issue warning as phone fraudsters scam North Yorkshire residents out of thousands of pounds

We’re urging people not to be taken in by people calling you out of the blue and claiming fraudulent activity has taken place on their bank account.

Two recent incidents in North Yorkshire has seen victims pass hundreds of thousands of pounds into the hands of criminals.

In one case the victim was called by fraudsters claiming to be from Darlington Police who told her to call 999. She did this, but the fraudsters were still on the line and unbeknown to her, she was following instructions from criminals telling her to withdraw money and leave it outside of her house for collection. The criminals involved then picked it up from her home. She lost several thousand pounds to the scammers.

In another case the victim was called by scammers claiming to be from the Financial Conduct Authority who persuaded her to transfer hundreds of thousands of pounds into another bank account and to tell her bank she was buying a house. They initially told her to set up a new bank account to deposit the money, but that bank refused to accept the deposit, they then told her to buy gold, but the dealer refused, they finally persuaded her to transfer the money into what is known as a ‘mule’ account held by an innocent member of the public but fraudulently accessed by the scammers.  

The police, your bank, or any legitimate financial organisation would never call you out of the blue and ask you to transfer money or withdraw money.

Please put the phone down on them.

The scammers often remain on the line while you believe you are calling your bank or other organisation. Always wait at least five minutes to allow the line to clear before you use it again. Or if you can, use another device to call.   

Do not answer any calls from unknown numbers on WhatsApp.

Here’s some more advice from Action Fraud about a similar tactic called courier fraud where fraudsters call you claiming to be from your bank and send someone to pick up your card:

Protect yourself

• Your bank or the police will never call you to ask you to verify your personal details or PIN by phone or offer to pick up your card by courier. Hang up if you get a call like this.
• If you need to call your bank back to check, wait five minutes; fraudsters may stay on the line after you hang up. Alternatively, use a different line altogether to call your bank.
• Your debit or credit card is yours – don’t let a stranger take it off you. You should only ever have to hand it over at your bank. If it’s cancelled, you should destroy it yourself.

Spot the signs

• Someone claiming to be from your bank or local police force calls you to tell you about fraudulent activity but is asking you for personal information or even your PIN to verify who you are.
• They’re offering you to call back so you can be sure they’re genuine, but when you try to return the call there’s no dial tone.
• They try to offer you peace of mind by having somebody pick up the card for you to save you the trouble of having to go to your bank or local police station.

How it happens

You may get called on your mobile or landline by someone who claims to be from your bank or the police. They say their systems have spotted a fraudulent payment on your card or it is due to expire and needs to be replaced.

They might suggest that you hang up and redial the number of their bank or police force to reassure you that they’re genuine. However, they don’t disconnect the call from the landline so that when you dial the real phone number, you’re still speaking to the same fraudster.

They’ll then ask you to read out your credit or debit card PIN or type it on your phone keypad. They may ask for details of other accounts you hold with the bank or elsewhere to grab more information.

Then they promise to send a courier to you to collect your bank card. The fraudster will have your name, address, full bank details, card and its PIN, and withdraw cash using the card and may even use the information to commit identity fraud in your name.

If you’ve given your bank details over the phone or handed your card to a courier, call your bank straight away to cancel the card.