Police are warning residents about a scam where fraudsters con people to obtain their bank account details and debit cards.
In recent weeks, people living in Derby, Chesterfield and Kilburn have called police to report the same scam.
On each occasion, the fraudster has called the victim and pretended to work for the bank they have an account with, telling the victim there has been fraudulent activity on their account. They ask the victim for their PIN and then tell them a courier will be sent to their house to collect their debit cards.
They encourage the victim to ring their bank to clarify the call is genuine but do not hang up, leaving the phone line open. When the victim believes they are dialling their bank, they are actually speaking to another fraudster on the same line, who then confirms the fraudulent transactions on their account.
Either a genuine courier firm, or a taxi firm employed by the scammers, then call at the victim’s house to collect the cards.
The victims, who are all elderly, later discover that money has been withdrawn from their accounts.
Police have referred the crimes to the National Fraud Agency for investigation. Officers are urging people to keep their PIN a secret and remember that banks will never ask you for your PIN.
Anyone with information about these crimes should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.