'Don’t be afraid to hang up': Shrewsbury resident falls victim to fake police officer scam prompting warnings

Shropshire Police say they received a report from Shrewsbury yesterday after a resident was duped into taking out a 'large amount of cash' which was collected by a fake courier.

A spokesperson for Shropshire Police said: "Yesterday we received a report from the Shrewsbury area of a resident who was contacted by a man claiming to be an officer from the Metropolitan Police.

"The man told them that there had been fraud on their account and to withdraw a large amount of cash, which was later collected by a fake courier," the spokesperson said. The amount of money was not disclosed.

"Remember, no police officer from any force or department and no bank or other organisation will ever ask you to make a payment, withdraw or transfer money or ask for your bank details.

"Even if someone provides all your details correctly on the phone, it can still be a scam. If in doubt, don’t be afraid to hang up, wait 10 minutes and call whatever company they say they are and directly check if it is legitimate."

Officers urged anyone with elderly or vulnerable relatives, friends or neighbours to "please share this message with them" so that the community can help to keep them safe.

"These scams can be extremely convincing and manipulative.

"Incidents like these are being tackled as part of Operation Prospero, which directly targets offenders posing as police officers, working in conjunction with Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and cyber-crime reporting centre.

For more information about door-to-door and courier fraud please you should visit the police website.

Anyone who thinks they may have been contacted by a bogus police officer should call 101 or report it via the police website.

If you are in immediate risk, always call 999.