Police action prevents pensioner losing £8,000 to scammers
Police thwarted a scam by intercepting cash destined for fraudsters after a pensioner was nearly conned out of almost £8,000.
A man in his 80s was called by a con artist posing as online retailer, who had mistakenly deposited the lump sum into his bank account.
The trusting victim, from Scotland, was persuaded to withdraw the same amount and send it to an address in Birmingham. He later became suspicious and confided in a relative who alerted police in Scotland – and it allowed officers from West Midlands Police to retrieve the cash parcel from a Royal Mail sorting office, before it could be dispatched to the scammers.
The force's economic crime unit (ECU) are carrying out enquiries around the intended destination and potential recipient of the package.
Kloe Burrows, from the ECU, said: "Thanks to the prompt response from ourselves and Police Scotland we were able to prevent an elderly man being conned out of a substantial sum of cash. The money is now being securely transferred back to him.
"The ‘online retailer’ wasn’t owed any money but the conman was still able to persuade the vulnerable victim to part with money through their lies.
"We have seen a number of new scams since the coronavirus outbreak, and we are urging people to be extra vigilant to avoid being duped by fraudsters in person or online."
