Police are urging residents in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to remain vigilant following 17 reports of courier fraud since the start of August – with one couple losing £70,000.
This type of fraud typically sees a victim receive an unexpected call from someone who purports to be a police officer, a staff member from their local bank, or an employee from an internet or phone provider. Recent reports of this in Hampshire have involved people claiming to be police officers from London. They then tell the victim that their account has been subject to fraudulent activity and then request that the victim helps with the ongoing investigation, with this involving: • Being asked for details about their financial accounts and bank cards • Being sent to their bank to withdraw money, or being asked to buy high value goods • Granting the caller access to their computer or phone, by downloading an application. Victims are then told to hand over money or an expensive item to a fraudulent courier, who will typically come to their home to collect it. They are also encouraged not to discuss this with any friends, family or bank staff. Since the beginning of August, officers have received 17 reports of courier fraud. Some of the offences have resulted in victims losing more than £10,000, while the largest loss has been £70,000. Officers are urging people to not engage with these type of calls. Victims are typically elderly and officers are asking anyone with an elderly relative, loved one, friend or associate to please make them aware of this scam. Some recent examples of reports include: It was reported that a man in his 80s in the Blackwater area had been scammed out of £8,000, after a suspect visited his home address on Wednesday 23 August. The victim had previously received a phone call from someone claiming to be a police at a London police station, who told him his cards had been cloned and he needed to withdraw money from two bank accounts for collection. On Thursday 24 August, we received a report that a woman in her 80s, from Minstead in the New Forest, had been called by someone purporting to be a police officer from London. The man told her he was investigating forged bank notes and requested that she visit various banks and stores in Southampton to withdraw money, keeping her on the line as she did so. The money, the total of which has not yet been confirmed, was later collected by a courier. On Sunday 27 August, we received a report that a man and a woman in their 70s from Gosport had been scammed out of £70,000 by a man claiming to be a police officer from London. They were told that their bank cards had been used in fraudulent activity involving counterfeit bank notes and that they needed to withdraw a large amount of money to assist with the investigation. A man then visited their address on a number of occasions to collect the money, which the couple had been told was counterfeit. On Monday 28 August, we received a report that a couple in their 80s from New Milton had been scammed out of £13,500 in similar circumstances. Officers are investigating all of the incidents and our enquiries are ongoing. Detective Constable Michael Dumbleton, from the Economic Crime Unit, said: “These fraudsters are heartless individuals who prey on some of the most vulnerable people living in our area. “Victims of courier fraud can be any age, but are typically aged between 70 and 89 and I would urge everyone who has an elderly relative to make them aware of this type of fraud as soon as possible. “These incidents can often have a huge impact on victims as they come to terms with the fact they have fallen for a scam, and the financial losses that come with it. “We do not want anyone to fall victim to these scammers and we are taking steps to inform residents of courier fraud; so that they are aware of this type of contact and can avoid becoming a victim. “If anyone receives a call of this nature, they should not engage with the caller and hang up. “We are wholly committed to investigating offences of this nature and will take steps to identify and bring those individuals responsible to justice.” Please remember that: • Police officers, banks and other organisations such as HMRC will never call people in this way and ask you to withdraw money or disclose personal or financial information. If someone does do this, please hang up – it will be a scam. • If someone calls claiming to be a police officer, ask for their ID number and police force. Wait at least five minutes before verifying details with the appropriate Force by calling 101 – do not use any number they provide unless you can confirm it as genuine. Ensure the call has disconnected as scammers will often leave the line open or use another phone altogether. A genuine police officer will not mind waiting while you check their identity (it’s a sign that it is a scam if the person becomes pushy or stresses urgency). • Take a step back from everything and take a few moments to think. Speak to a trusted friend or relative for their opinion before agreeing to anything. The fraudster’s tactic is often to keep the victim busy talking and isolated. They stress that they should not tell anyone else about the call. • Your bank or the police will never send a courier to your home to collect cash, bank cards, PINs or other valuable goods. • If you are a friend, relative or carer of someone you think might be vulnerable to this type of scam, please speak to them about this advice. You might be the only person who can stop them from being scammed. If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, report it to us by calling 101. If a crime is in progress, dial 999. You can make yourself aware of this type of scam and how to protect yourself by visiting the Action Fraud website (https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/) or by calling them on 0300 123 2040.
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Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary - in conjunction with City University London and a host of other UK forces – are conducting a Victim Survivors Police Experience Survey for rape and other sexual offences.
It is with the aim to improve the ways in which we engage with victims of rape and other sexual offences, and thereby improve the victim-survivor experience of the police investigation and criminal justice process. The survey – which is completely anonymous – will further our understanding of people’s experiences of reporting sexual violence across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Detective Superintendent Ellie Hurd, said: “Rape and other sexual offences are some of the most complex and challenging crimes that we deal with within the criminal justice system. Our officers and staff are dedicated to achieving the best outcomes for victims. “In participating in the survey, it is an opportunity to achieve real, sustainable change by taking an open and honest look at the way we work within our own organisation, alongside the wider criminal justice system and victim support services. “We want to listen to all victim-survivors. We want to understand where and how we can improve our approach to engaging with victim-survivors and ensure we are doing our utmost by them, in achieving tangible outcomes as part of our investigations. This could be a huge stepping-stone in achieving just that. “Rape and other sexual offences are really, really traumatic and impactive crimes, and this survey will inform improvements to our approach to policing these offences now, and in the future.” All victims of rape and other sexual offences aged 18 and over are invited to take part, whose case has been reported to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. Your case may have just started, been ongoing for some time, or be closed. To find out more, or to take part in the anonymous survey, please visit http://www.tinyurl.com/1experiencesurvey Large community and religious WhatsApp groups are being targeted by scammers who infiltrate them to try and deceive their members into sending them money. Since January of this year, 268 people have reported falling victim to this scam.
The fraud often begins when a member of the group receives a WhatsApp audio call from the fraudster, pretending, or claiming, to be a member of the group. This is done in order to gain the individual’s trust, and often the scammer will use a false profile picture and / or display name, so at first glance it would appear to be a genuine member of the group. The fraudster will then call the victim and say they are sending a one-time passcode which will allow them to join an upcoming video call for group members. The scammer then asks the victim to share this passcode with them so they can be “registered” for the video call. What’s really happening is that the scammer is asking for a registration code to register the victim’s WhatsApp account to a new device where they then “port” their WhatsApp profile over. Once the fraudster has access to the victim’s WhatsApp account, they will enable two-step verification which makes it impossible for the victim to access their account. The scammer will then message other members of the group, or friends and family in the victim’s contacts, asking them to transfer money urgently as they are in desperate need of help. Oliver Shaw, Detective Chief Superintendent and Head of Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) said: “WhatsApp continues to be a popular platform for community and religious groups, but sadly also for fraudsters. Here, the scammers rely on the goodwill of group members and their intrinsic desire to help others in distress. “We urge people always to be wary when receiving contact via WhatsApp or other messaging platforms. This is particularly the case when being asked to provide account information – despite the fact that you may recognise the individual’s profile picture and / or name. “Never share your account information with anyone, and if you think it’s a fraudulent approach, report the message and block the sender within WhatsApp. To make your account more secure, we advise setting up two-step verification to provide an extra layer of protection. This makes it increasingly more difficult for fraudsters to gain access to somebody else’s WhatsApp account”. Analysis of Action Fraud reports indicate that victims targeted by this scam are often part of large WhatsApp community, alumni and academic, work groups, and religious groups (such as church or prayer groups). What can you do to avoid being a victim?
Today (10 July), Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary will be implementing the Operation Soteria Bluestone National Operating Model, a transformational change program tackling rape and serious sexual offences across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
It comes after the Home Secretary has announced that all 43 forces in England and Wales have signed up to Operation Soteria which will ensure that rape and serious sexual offence investigations are victim-centered, suspect-focused and context-led. Launched in 2021 as part of the government’s end-to-end Rape Review Operation Soteria is a Home Office funded research and change programme, led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council. The collaborative programme, which initially bought together 19 police forces and academics to understand and tackle the challenges seen in rape and serious sexual offences investigations, will allow police officers to conduct suspect, rather than victim-focused, investigations and better support victims of these crimes. Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, along with other forces, will also gain access to a bespoke hub which will include guidance on identifying and disrupting repeat offenders, support to improve decision making processes, assets to progress cases more effectively, enable forces to better meet the needs of victims, and ensure investigative focus shifts to the actions of the suspect. As one of the expansion forces on Operation Soteria Bluestone, the force completed a review of their force approach in 2022 and an improvement plan is now in place. Since signing up to the change programme in October last year, the Constabulary has seen: • A gradual increase in the number of solved Rape and other Sexual offences • Closer co-operation with the Crown Prosecution Service to achieve greater procedural justice • 500 investigators and supervisors begin to take part in a new investigative skills development programme. Temporary Detective Superintendent David West, said: “As an Operation Soteria Bluestone expansion force, we have benefited from the support of partners, peers and academics over the past year to understand how we can and must improve our response to rape and other sexual offences. “We have taken an open, honest and critical look at our organisational culture and the way we work, reflecting upon the voiced concerns of victim-survivors, the direction of academics and our wider partners across the Criminal Justice System. “Transformational change is required to achieve the much needed and evidence improvements to this hugely challenging and complex area of crime. “Our improvement plan has been developed over the last 6 months and commands the trust and confidence of our key partners, Yellow Door (Victim Advocacy), Treetops Sexual Assault Health Referral Centre (SARC) and the Crown Prosecution Service. “Together we are committed to providing a timely, effective response to rape and other sexual offences, delivered by skilled, whole story informed sexual violence responders and investigators. Bringing more offenders to justice, improving public protection and increasing confidence amongst victim-survivors. “We will do so by ensuring we are victim centered, suspect focused and context led through fair and balanced investigations. “As a demonstration of our commitment to learn and improve, we continue to invite victim-survivors to take part in an anonymous survey to share their experience of police investigations and the criminal justice process” If you’ve been a victim, please report rape or sexual assault as soon as possible. Even if you’re not 100 per cent sure, we’d sooner hear from you so that we can make sure you’re safe. If you’re not ready to talk to the police just yet, that’s OK. There are a range of places to get support, advice and medical help. You can speak to a number of organisations in confidence and what you tell them won't be shared with the police unless you ask for it to be. To find out more, please visit: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rsa/rape-and-sexual-assault/support-for-victims-of-rape-and-sexual-assault/ Keyless car theft is becoming a growing issue in our county and across the UK, and we want to give you the tools to prevent this from happening to you. During 2022/23 there were approximately 480 incidents of keyless car thefts in Hampshire and Isle of Wight, this is up from around 135 in 2021/22.
Thieves don’t need access to your home or to be in possession of your car keys, they have the technology to help them to connect to the signal from your key and relay it to the vehicle. They can then unlock the car and drive away without you knowing. Thieves often target high-value vehicles, most recently we saw a rise in theft of Land Rovers, but it could happen to anyone with any vehicle that has a keyless start, if they can gain access then they will take it. A mum recently had her car stolen (links to BBC article) despite having CCTV and the key inside her home. The thief was spotted on a CCTV camera using technology to relay the key’s signal inside her home to the car to unlock it and was able to drive away. There are a number of steps you can take to protect your vehicle, but it’s important to use a combination of methods and utilise locks and other items to deter thieves and protect yourself to the greatest extent possible. Disklok is offering a unique code, which is HPDSK15, it’s available for the month of July for Hampshire and Isle of Wight residents to purchase a steering wheel lock with a discount. To protect your vehicle from being stolen, you can: · Keep keys out of sight and away from doors and windows · Use a signal blocking pouch, known as a Faraday Bag, to store your keys · Turn off your Keyless Fob’s Wireless Signal · Use a tested and approved Steering Wheel /Pedal / Gear Lock as a deterrent · Tracking devices can help track down your vehicle and the perpetrator should it be taken · Check with your manufacturer to make sure your car is as secure as it can be · Re-programme your keys if you buy a second hand car · Park securely or use your garage if you have one · Use CCTV and lighting. Residents can report keyless car theft to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary by calling 101 or by reporting it online. |
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