Information from Kent Police describes how scammers have recently targeted a vulnerable victim,
“A telephone call was received on a landline (late November 2017) from scammers advising that they were calling from a bank – they did not specify which bank and this was not questioned. The caller stated he was conducting an internal investigation into bank staff and that the victim was to tell no one that they were assisting with the investigation. He stated that counterfeit money had been put into accounts and that the victim was to withdraw 2 separate sums on consecutive days, and that once withdrawn he would ring them and check random numbers on some of the bank notes to determine if they were the ones that they had introduced and were circulating in the system. The victim was told that a courier from the bank would collect the money and then the bank account would be re-credited with genuine notes. The victim was to leave their phone off the hook when they were communicating so that they would not be contacted by anyone and they were to tell no one why they was withdrawing the money, including the bank staff. Money was withdrawn and the courier, described as male in his 20s and Mediterranean appearance, collected the money the same day. Needless to say the money was not re-credited.”
Please be aware of any such attempts to obtain cash in circumstances as above, not just for yourselves but for any of your family, friends or neighbours who may be vulnerable to such scams.
What to do:-
- Hang up if you receive one of these calls.
- If you think you have been a victim of this scam, contact the Police.
Please stay vigilant.