Man arrested in Rugby in connection with text message scam

A man suspected of being part of parcel delivery text scam has been arrested in Rugby.

This was part of an investigation being led by the Warwickshire Police Economic Crime Team following a report from a woman in Cumbria who had been conned out of almost £10,000.

The woman reported receiving a text message saying that a parcel couldn’t be delivered and she need to make a payment. She clicked on the link and entered her bank details.

A few days later she received a call from someone claiming to be from her bank falsely saying her card had been used fraudulently and that she needed to transfer all her funds into a new account. She made payments totalling almost £10,000 into accounts owned by the fraudsters.

The 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation and later released under investigation while enquiries continue.

Detective Sergeant Paul Hainsworth from the Warwickshire Police Economic Crimes Team said: “This arrest is a good example of how committed we are to pursuing fraudsters in Warwickshire. It also acts as a reminder of just how convincing and deceiving fraudsters can be.

“Our ability to investigate this type of fraud is improving all the time and this should serve as a warning to criminals.

“It is important people make life as difficult as possible for fraudsters by taking simple steps to protect themselves and reporting any concerns they have.”

If you have received what you believe to be a scam text please forward it to 7726. This is a free text and will raise an alert with the National Cyber Security Centre who can put measures in place to protect others.

If you believe you have lost money in a scam you can report it by calling Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.