Three arrests after Rugby man scammed out of £9,000 over the phone

Three people have been arrested on suspicion of fraud this week after a victim in Rugby was left conned out of £9,000.

In December last year the victim was contacted by someone purporting to be from his bank.

The fraudster convinced him that the funds in his account were at risk and he needed to transfer them to a number of ‘safe’ accounts.

The victim then made three separate transfers of funds totalling nearly £9,000 to the offenders.

Police identified the recipient accounts and it was discovered that the funds had been quickly dissipated.

And on November 10 , a 24-year-old woman from Crawley, a 27-year-old woman from Croydon and a 37-year-old man from Thornton Heath were all interviewed, and have been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

Detective Sergeant Paul Hainsworth from Warwickshire Police said: “This was a very upsetting incident for the victim who lost a significant amount of money at the hands of fraudsters, who continue to prey on individuals, particularly the elderly and the vulnerable.

“The fraudsters’ stories are often believable and they will put a lot of pressure on victims to convince them to withdraw or transfer money.

“Please think about your loved ones and neighbours and make sure they know how to avoid scams such as these.

"I hope this week’s arrests demonstrate that we will not tolerate crimes of this nature, which can have devastating impacts on victims who are often left feeling scared and worried that their home is no longer safe, and we will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.”

A police spokesperson explained that Government departments, the police or your bank will never:

Contact you out of the blue and ask for your personal details, including your PIN number, password or account details

Ask you to transfer money into another account for fraud reasons

Ask you to withdraw cash and hand to someone for safe keeping

Ask you to purchase high value items such as gift cards

Send someone to your home to collect cash or other high value items, bank cards, account details or PIN numbers

Police advice for keeping safe from these sorts of scams includes:

"If you are unsure whether someone on the phone is genuine, hang up and then use a different line to call the organisation they are purporting to be from using a number from the phonebook or internet to verify their identity

"Don’t give out your personal information to anyone over the phone, including your PIN number and bank account or card details

"If you have given out your personal banking details to someone over the phone or have given someone your card details, contact your bank immediately to cancel your card

"Where to go for help

"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 – the more intelligence we receive, the more likely we are to catch those responsible

"If you have been a victim of a telephone scam, please report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via their website: www.actionfraud.police.uk."

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

Always call 999 in an emergency

For further advice, see: www.actionfraud.police.uk/a-z-of-fraud/courier-scam