Two arrested in 'courier fraud' probe

David Banks
Authored by David Banks
Posted: Friday, November 14, 2014 - 09:02

Zephyr, the south west’s regional organised crime unit, has made arrests in Scotland as part of its ongoing probe into courier fraud.

Detectives from Zephyr were joined by officers from Police Scotland to execute search warrants on properties in the Castlemilk and Crosshill areas of the city of Glasgow.

They are the first arrests made north of the border and follow arrests throughout the south west and in East London.

A 43-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud and money-laundering offences. Officers seized a high value car and a significant amount of money during searches of the properties.

The arrests relate to offences in Devon and Cornwall and Wiltshire.

A woman from Tiverton lost £13,000 after she contacted her bank when the suspects attempted to obtain £33,000.  A 60-year-old woman from Salisbury was duped out of £85,000.

Detective Inspector Tony Hubbard, of Zephyr, said: “We want people to be reassured by today’s action; this is the latest in a series of arrests targeting alleged fraudsters, some of which have been made as a result of information provided by members of the public.

“Despite high profile publicity around courier fraud over the past six months people – particularly those in the vulnerable over 60 age group – continue to fall prey to this type of crime.”

Perpetrators use the same format to dupe people. They contact potential victims – who are normally elderly - by telephone, purporting to be a police officer.

They are then encouraged to withdraw large sums of cash and asked to send it to a destination by taxi or a courier, or by electronic transfer of large amounts to a fraudulent bank account.

The culprit claims the money is potential evidence for an investigation and that it is needed so it can be forensically examined.

DI Hubbard added: “The police and the banks will NEVER ask you for banking details or PIN numbers on the phone. Similarly, they would never send a so-called ‘courier’ to collect bank cards or money.”

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