Ilford and East Ham men arrested on suspicion of fraud after allegedly posing as bank workers to elderly residents
Two men from Ilford and East Ham were arrested today by Essex Police for courier fraud. Picture: PA Archive/PA Images - Credit: PA Archive/PA Images
Two men from Ilford and East Ham have been arrested on suspicion of fraud after allegedly posing as bank workers to cheat five elderly people out of hundreds of pounds,
The two 20-year-olds are suspected of convincing five people in Essex their bank cards had been compromised and to hand them over to them when they then withdrew cash from their account.
The victims were aged between 81 and 84 years old,
The incidents took place between December 26 and January 16 and the two men were arrested today, January 24, by Essex Police.
The fraudsters are alleged to have called their victims claiming to be bank managers and told them a courier would pick up their compromised credit cards.
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They then allegedly proceeded to withdraw multiple three-figure sums from some of the victims.
The two men were arrested on suspicion of courier fraud and one of the men has been arrested on suspicion of four further offences that were reported in other counties.
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Det Con Ross Thompson of Essex Police's Volume Fraud Team said: "We believe fraudsters are preying on the elderly and are tricking them into handing over their PIN numbers and bank cards.
"Fortunately, some victims have contacted their bank to cancel their cards but others have had money taken and all have had the inconvenience of waiting for new bank cards and details.
"This would have caused unnecessary and unwanted disruption in their lives and have left victims feeling very scared and vulnerable.
"Please remember, your bank will never phone you and ask you to hand in your bank cards or arrange to have your bank cards collected by a courier service. They will never ask you to provide personal details such as your PIN number or any other security details."
Police have advised if anyone receives a call which they think is fraudulent they should hang up and report it to the police.
