Woman in her 70s loses thousands in courier fraud scam

Leicestershire Police are appealing for help to identify a man they want to speak to following a courier fraud targeting a woman in her 70s.

The victim was tricked into handing over her bank card, which was later used for thousands of pounds worth of unauthorised transactions.

The incident happened on 18th July, when the woman received a text message claiming there had been an unauthorised transaction from her bank account.

She was told to call a number provided in the message.

During the call, the woman was told her bank card needed to be collected by a courier so it could be “fingerprinted”.

She followed the instructions and left her bank card in an envelope outside her home.

Police said, the card was then collected by a man.

The victim later discovered that two unauthorised transactions had been made using her card, totalling several thousand pounds.

Following enquiries, police believe the man pictured may have information which could help with their investigation. 

Police are also reminding people to be alert to courier fraud and to look out for friends, family members or neighbours who could be targeted. A spokesperson said: 

"A bank will never ask you to hand over your bank card to a courier because of an alleged unauthorised transaction. If you receive an unexpected message or phone call claiming to be from your bank, do not use any contact details provided in the message. Contact your bank using a trusted number, such as the one on the back of your bank card."