Police have arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of fraud by false representation and for impersonating a police constable.

This is in relation to incident 354 of 22 September, where a man in his 80s from Colsterworth reported lost a sum of money after he was contacted by fraudsters purporting to be police officers from Scotland Yard.

The 32-year-old has been released on police bail while enquiries are ongoing.

We are still urging members of the public to remain vigilant against courier fraud.

Original release

Police are urging the public to remain vigilant following an increase in courier fraud reports in the North and South Kesteven areas.

Officers received two reports yesterday (22 September) where two elderly males from Sleaford and Colsterworth lost a sum of cash after being targeted.

Courier fraud occurs when a fraudster contacts victims by telephone purporting to be a police officer or bank official. They claim there is an issue with your bank account or claim they need your assistance with an ongoing bank or police investigation.

The aim of the call is to trick victims into parting with their money or bank details. Fraudsters can be very convincing and will often already know many of your personal details making them seem genuine.

Incident 219 reported yesterday from Sleaford is in relation to a man in his 70s losing a sum of cash. He was contacted by fraudsters who claimed his computer had contracted a virus and that he needed to contact someone who could help remove it. The victim was given a mobile number and was told the issue could take some time to fix.

The victim was also led to believe that he was dealing with the fraud department at HSBC and that he needed to send money to help track down other scammers.

In another report, incident 354, a man in his 80s from Colsterworth reportedly lost a sum of cash after he was contacted by fraudsters purporting to be police officers from Scotland Yard.

The fraudsters claimed they had arrested someone in Grantham for using counterfeit money and instructed the victim to withdraw cash which would later be collected from his home address. The fraudsters claimed the victim would also be arrested if he didn’t comply with their request.

We are asking the public to share this information with their friends, family, and neighbours to prevent more people from falling victim to courier fraud.

Stay safe from courier fraud

Your bank or the police will never call and ask you for your PIN, bank card or full banking password. They will also never ask you to transfer or withdraw money or buy items on their behalf.

If you receive an unexpected call, hang up and use another phone to call back. Confirm the identity on a number that you can verify yourself, not one given by the caller.

Most telephone providers now offer a free call blocking service. You can also purchase call screening telephones from most high-street stores, or a call blocking device which plugs into existing telephones.