What is Courier Fraud?

You might receive a call from someone claiming to be a police officer or from your bank. They may know basic details about you, such as your name and address, to gain your trust. Once they have your trust, the criminals might claim:

  • 1

    There's been a fraudulent payment on your card, or it needs replacing due to expiration.

  • 2

    An investigation requires you to withdraw money and hand it over to a courier or police officer, promising it will be returned later.

  • 3

    You need to buy expensive items to hand over to a courier for inspection.

  • 4

    Money has been taken from your account by corrupt bank staff, and you need to withdraw funds for evidence.

  • 5

    A business like a jeweller or currency exchange is operating fraudulently, and you're needed to help gather evidence.

In these situations, they may instruct you not to discuss the matter with anyone else and assure you that you'll get your money back. They might ask you to lie to your bank or bypass security measures, ignore such instructions and follow your bank's warnings.

They might arrange for a courier to collect your money, bank card, and PIN, asking you to write down your PIN and place it in a separate envelope.

How to Protect Yourself from Courier Fraud

  • 1

    Take a moment to pause and consider: Criminals will rush and pressure you to respond. It's okay to reject or ignore their demands.

  • 2

    Never hand over your card: Your bank or the police will never come to your home to collect money or your card. Never give these to anyone who shows up to collect them.

  • 3

    Always verify securely: If contacted unexpectedly, call your bank back using a number you trust. Wait five minutes or use a different phone line to ensure the line is clear of criminals who might still be connected.

Spot the Signs

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

How to report it

Report it to us online or call 0300 123 2040.

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.

Tags