Courier fraud starts with a phone call and ends with a stranger at the door. The caller claims to be a police officer or bank official, and the aim is to get a bank card, cash or valuable goods handed over. This article summarises published guidance from the Metropolitan Police, the national fraud reporting service (Report Fraud, whose guidance page sits on the Action Fraud website) and Stop Scams UK. The Metropolitan Police pages are written by a London force but describe a national pattern, and the reporting routes for Scotland are noted separately below.
What courier fraud is
The Metropolitan Police defines courier fraud as someone contacting a person by phone and impersonating trusted authorities such as police officers or bank officials, and sometimes doing so in person. The aim is to trick people into handing over cash or bank cards to them, or to a courier. Sometimes victims are tricked into buying and handing over other expensive items, such as jewellery. The Met notes that the courier may not know they are being used as part of the crime, and stresses that if it has happened to someone, it is not their fault and support is available.
How the scam is set up
Report Fraud says the caller may know basic details such as a name and address to gain trust. The Met and Report Fraud describe several stories:
- a fraudulent payment has been made on the card, or someone has been arrested using the person’s details, and the card must be cancelled, so a courier will collect it;
- a card is due to expire and needs replacing;
- an investigation requires the person to withdraw cash, or buy items such as foreign or crypto currency, gold bullion, jewellery, mobile phones or designer goods, which will be collected, or posted to an address, supposedly to be passed to the police;
- money has been taken by corrupt bank staff and must be withdrawn as evidence;
- the bank account has been taken over and money must be moved to a new “safe” account, which is operated by the criminals.
Report Fraud adds that the caller may tell the person not to discuss the matter with anyone else, promise the money will be returned, and ask them to lie to the bank or bypass its security warnings. It says the person may be asked to write the PIN down and put it in a separate envelope for the courier. In a common variant, the fraudster suggests the person hang up and ring the real bank or police number to check. According to Report Fraud, the fraudster does not disconnect the landline call, so the person is still speaking to the same criminal when they dial the genuine number. A sign is that there is no dial tone when the call is returned.
What police and banks will not do
The Met and Report Fraud are consistent on the basics:
- banks and the police will never call to verify a PIN, and will not ask someone to withdraw money, buy items or send items on their behalf for an investigation;
- a bank or the police will never come to a home to collect money or a card, and a card should never be given to anyone who arrives to collect it;
- anyone who does receive such a call should hang up, and never transfer money or make purchases on behalf of someone they do not know.
How to check safely
Both bodies advise verifying by contacting the organisation on a number that is trusted. The Met says calling 159 puts a caller through to their bank, and that if calling back from a landline after a suspicious call, the person should wait a few minutes because criminals may stay on the line, or use a different phone line. Report Fraud says to wait five minutes or use a different line to ensure the line is clear.
Stop Scams UK explains that 159 is a short code intended for use when someone receives an unexpected call about a financial matter. It says the code connects customers of more than 99% of the UK’s retail bank current accounts safely and directly with their bank, that unlike long-form numbers it cannot be spoofed or impersonated, and that more than one million calls have been made to it. In an emergency, the Met says to call the police on 999.
If it has already happened
- Contact the bank immediately. Report Fraud says a person who has given bank details over the phone or handed a card to a courier should call the bank straight away to cancel the card.
- Report it. The Met says a person who has lost items or money can make a police report through its online tool and should also contact the bank immediately. Reports can also go to Report Fraud online or on 0300 123 2040, with a textphone on 0300 123 2050 for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Where a crime is in progress, the suspect is known or easily identified, or the victim is vulnerable, the Met advises contacting police directly on 999 in an emergency, or 101 for non-emergencies.
- In Scotland, the Financial Conduct Authority’s guidance says reports should go to Police Scotland on 101, and Advice Direct Scotland can be contacted on 0808 164 6000.
Whether a bank must refund money depends on the circumstances, and the rules for payments a person made themselves differ from those for payments made without permission. See this site’s guides to impersonation scams and bank transfer scams.
The bottom line
Courier fraud relies on pressure, secrecy and a caller who sounds official. Police and banks never ask for a PIN, never collect cards, cash or goods, and never ask anyone to withdraw money or buy items for an investigation. The safe response is to hang up, use a different line or wait, call the bank on 159 or a trusted number, cancel any card that has been handed over and report the crime.
Sources
- Metropolitan Police, “Courier fraud”
- Metropolitan Police, “Protecting yourself from door-to-door and courier fraud”
- Metropolitan Police, “Reporting door-to-door or courier fraud”
- Report Fraud (Action Fraud), “Courier Fraud”
- Stop Scams UK, “159 Phone number”
- Financial Conduct Authority, “Fraudulent payments”