Suffolk Police courier fraud warning after elderly woman conned out of thousands of pounds
Police in Suffolk are asking people to discuss courier fraud with elderly relatives or friends after a woman lost more than £5,000 to fraudsters.
The incident took place on Wednesday in the Babergh area of Suffolk and involved a female victim aged in her 80s.
The woman was contacted via her landline telephone by a man claiming to be from the police, before communication was continued via her mobile telephone.
The woman was told by the fraudsters that she was the victim of a fraud. They falsely claimed this involved an employee at a bank in Essex. The victim was told to take a taxi to the bank in question and was then asked to withdraw £4,000. The victim was also told to withdraw a further £2,000 from another organisation.
After returning, the fraudsters set up collection for the money, with a courier arriving later that day, with a codeword requested. Police were alerted after the money and three bank cards had been taken.
Police are urging residents to share this warning with elderly and vulnerable family members, friends and neighbours – but stress that anyone can fall victim to these sophisticated scams.
If you know of anyone that you feel might be susceptible to this, please help ensure they are aware of the dangers and consider measures such as call blockers.
Detective Sergeant Jamie Adams, of Suffolk Constabulary’s Fraud Assessment Unit said: “These are crimes done by the absolute worst in society, preying on the vulnerable, the elderly, and those that trust services such as police and banks the most.
“The fraudsters often contact them directly with key information, pretending to be officers, giving believable names, ranks, stations and collar numbers.
“This isn’t just vulnerable people; the victims we have seen are knowledgeable people but those responsible are professionals, they know what to say and are very convincing, preying on people’s fears of this very thing, of being conned out of their hard-earned money.
“Please share this important advice with your friends, your family and your neighbours and make sure they know what to do if contacted.
“Police would never call you and ask you to withdraw money to be collected by an officer nor would they ask you to transfer money into a different bank account.
“If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of the call please contact Suffolk police, ideally via another phone line or other method, to verify the details of the officer provided in the call.
“If you have elderly or vulnerable neighbours, friends or family, I would ask you to inform them of this guidance and to check with someone they trust if contacted in a similar manner.”
Millions of pounds are lost each year to these scams. Suffolk Constabulary has created an animated video to try and make people aware of the dangers of courier fraud, the signs to look out for and how you can protect yourself, your family and your friends. Further advice can also be found at the end of this video.
Between April 2024 and March 2025 there were 43 reports of courier fraud offences in Suffolk. In total victims lost £364,763, with an average loss of £8,482.
Courier fraud
Courier fraud occurs when people are contacted by people pretending to be police officers or bank officials and duped into handing over money, valuables or bank cards, which are collected from their home address, often by couriers. The criminals use a variety of different tactics, often claiming that there is a problem with your account and they need your help to catch the real criminals.
The victim may also be encouraged into handing over their bank cards, bank details and PINs, as well as handing over or buying high value items such as jewellery, watches and gold.
Older people are sadly the most likely to be targeted by criminals carrying out courier fraud.
Examples of courier fraud include:
A scammer calling you, claiming to be from your bank or a police officer. They tell you either that:
• a fraudulent payment has been spotted on your card that needs sorting out
• someone has been arrested using your details and cards
You may be asked to call your bank using the phone number on the back of your card. This convinces you that the call is genuine. But the scammer has kept the line open at their end, so when you make the call, you're unknowingly connected straight back to them or their friends.
They’ll either ask you for your PIN or ask you to key it into your phone. No bank or other legitimate service will ever ask you for your PIN.
The scammer then sends a courier or taxi to pick up the card from your home. Even the driver may not know they’re being used as part of the scam.
Once the scammer has both your card and PIN they can spend your money.
A different version of this scam is where you’re contacted and told there’s a corrupt member of staff at your bank, post office or bureau de change and the police need your help to identify them.
They ask you to withdraw a large sum of your money, which the police or bank will mark, then put back into the banking system. They say this will help them identify the corrupt person. Once you hand the cash over, the scammers simply take it.
Victims are sometimes asked to meet the ‘couriers’ in public places such as supermarkets or retail parks.
Another example is when a fake police officer phones or approaches you and asks you to buy an expensive watch or other high-value item, to try to find out if counterfeit goods are being sold.
Once you’ve bought the item, the scammer tells you to hand it to a taxi driver for transfer to the police. The expensive item is, of course, taken instead to the scammer’s partner.
The latest variation is where the scammer contacts you and says your bank account has been taken over and you need to transfer all the funds into a ‘safe account’. Of course, the new account is operated by the scammers, who then steal the funds.
Victims are not just elderly or vulnerable people. Those responsible are professionals, they know what to say and are very convincing.
For more details about checking police officers’ identities, please visit: www.suffolk.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/fa/how-to-check-an-officers-identity/
Police officers will never:
• Ask for bank details or PINs
• Request cash or bank card handovers to couriers
• Demand money transfers to other accounts
• Ask for payment of fines or fees over the phone
• Request access to your computer or passwords
• Ask you to 'assist' in an investigation by doing any of the above
If you have any concerns or feel you or someone you know may have been targeted, please report it.
Reports can be made to both the police and to Action Fraud, while further advice on this and other scams is available on the Action Fraud website.