Fraudsters thwarted in attempt to steal £44,000

An attempt to defraud an elderly person of £44,000 was prevented by the Warwickshire Police Economic Crime Unit (ECU) over the Christmas period.

Suspicions were aroused following information concerning the movement of this large sum of money into a Nuneaton bank account.

Further investigations uncovered that the funds had fraudulently been taken by criminals impersonating police officers.  The transaction was halted and the money returned to the victim by the bank.

Inspector Simon Mason, Economic Crime Unit said, “Thankfully this scam was detected by one of our team in time for the bank to intervene in the transaction. Investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend the fraudsters.

Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous criminals who will continually seek to exploit the vulnerable for their own financial gain. Upon finding a victim, all too often they will make further attempts to steal more from them.  Safeguarding measures are available to protect people at risk and have been put in place in this instance.

Obviously it is not only vulnerable people who are at risk – economic fraud it is often a very sophisticated crime and anyone can find themselves a victim.

We would like to remind our communities to be on their guard and to make themselves aware of various fraud methods that are commonly used and the precautionary and preventative measures that can be taken.”

If you receive a call from someone purporting to be a police officer and asking you to withdraw or transfer money, call Warwickshire Police on 101.

If you have been a victim of a scam, please report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

For advice on scams, contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.

For more information on how you can protect yourself, please visit: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/