Three arrests as part of week-long crackdown on telephone fraud

Three men have been arrested as part of a week of action against telephone fraud led by the Warwickshire Police Economic Crime Unit.

On Tuesday (4 August), a 44-year-old man from Wednesbury, West Midlands was arrested on suspicion of Fraud and money laundering. This was in connection with an incident in November 2019 where an 84-year-old woman from Nuneaton received a call from someone claiming to be from the police instructing her to transfer money. The woman was defrauded out of thousands of pounds. The suspect has been bailed until next week while enquiries continue.

On Thursday, a 25-year-old man from Birmingham was arrested on suspicion of fraud. This was in connection with an incident in April 2020 where a woman in Warwick received a call from someone claiming to be a high court sheriff who told her that she owed money to the court and that it needed to be transferred into a bank account. She was defrauded out of several hundred pounds. The suspect has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

This morning (Friday 7 August) a 21-year-old man from Coventry was arrested on suspicion of fraud. This was in connection with an incident in January 2020 where efforts were made to defraud a woman from Bulkington out of several thousand pounds. She was called by a man claiming to be from Natwest urging her to transfer money from her account. The woman realised it was a scam and reported it. The suspect remains in custody.

Warwickshire Police has received more than 100 reports of telephone fraud since November last year.

Detective Sergeant Paul Hainsworth from the Warwickshire Police Economic Crime Unit explained this type of offence is becoming more prevalent and the offenders getting more convincing: “These types of criminals typically target vulnerable people and they can sound extremely convincing. Victims are understandably concerned.

“Recently, we have been supporting the ‘Take Five’ initiative which urges people to do just that; if you feel something isn’t right, take five minutes to consider whether a situation is genuine.

“Criminals will often pressure people to act on the spot whereas legitimate callers will have no problem with you taking your time and carrying out relevant checks.”

Take five advice

These types of criminals are experts at impersonating organisations such as the police, a bank or the HMRC. They will often spend hours researching you for their scams, hoping you’ll let your guard down for just a moment.

Stop: Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.

Challenge: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.

Protect: Contact your bank immediately if you think you have fallen for a scam and report it.

And remember:

• Your bank will never send a courier to your home
• Your bank and the police will never collect your bank card
• Your bank and the police will never ask for your PIN
• Your bank will never ask you to transfer money
• If you receive one of these calls, end it immediately

Posted by SC, Corporate Communications