The 3 stages of a real-life scam, and how to avoid falling victim

Although this is a real-life story and is shared with full permission, we’ve used the name “Sabrina” as a pseudonym for our client.

Stage one

Sabrina received a telephone call from a man identifying himself as a detective constable at the Metropolitan Police in London. He explained that a man had been arrested attempting to buy a television with a cloned debit card in Sabrina’s name.

The fraudsters claimed to be investigating a rogue bank employee and convinced Sabrina to withdraw money from her bank account to “safeguard” her finances, promising it would be returned after the inquiry.

While Sabrina was initially very sceptical that this was a genuine call, the fraudsters led her to believe they had detailed knowledge of her financial affairs. They then used that knowledge to extract further information from Sabrina.

Regarding how the fraudsters obtained details of Sabrina’s financial arrangements, she noted they claimed to have access to all her financial records and asked questions about her investments and knowledge of precious metals.

Stage two

The fraudsters continued to call and email Sabrina over a three-month period, each time claiming that they needed to safeguard more of her money as the individual they had arrested was part of a wider criminal gang that had gained access to Sabrina’s accounts and investments.

Sabrina recalls the tone as being menacing and the caller always insisted on secrecy, citing that if anyone was told, it would jeopardise the police investigation. They also claimed that Sabrina would be breaking the law if she refused their demands.

Sabrina was “encouraged” to visit travel agents with her debit card and passport to withdraw euros, each time handing the proceeds to a waiting courier.

Stage three

The scam then moved away from cash withdrawals to advising Sabrina to purchase assets for safeguarding to reduce the risk of financial loss. This was again accompanied by the promise that it would all be returned to her when the investigation was completed.

On the fraudsters’ instructions, Sabrina made a very long day trip by road to and from the Midlands to buy gold jewellery, which was later collected by a courier.

The fraudsters then asked Sabrina to apply for a £40,000 loan and to buy an overseas holiday home.

Sabrina questioned these demands and began to realise she had fallen for a very elaborate and sophisticated scam. This was confirmed when she was visited by the local police force, who explained that they had arrested one of the couriers; the police had been able to trace Sabrina because the courier’s mobile phone had contained a map showing her home location.

Reflection

If this story was made into a film or TV series, we may get to the end and pass it off as pure fiction, doubting it could ever happen in real life.

Furthermore, we have known Sabrina for many years and would describe her as being intelligent and well-read on financial matters and world events.

However, it becomes more understandable that an individual can be deceived when they’re faced with the combination of:

• • Perceived power – the “police”
  • Manipulation techniques – from the fraudsters
  • Fear – of the loss of your hard-earned money.

With hindsight, Sabrina described the experience, saying, “I just can’t understand how I could be so stupid. Well, I can, but this goes to show how trusting I am.” She added, “the thing that really got me, though, was the menacing attitude. It really is quite frightening. They play to your weaknesses. And the fact that older people are more trusting than younger folk.”

Courier fraud

This type of crime is unfortunately common, and the Metropolitan Police give the following examples:

Issues with your bank account

A criminal calls you saying there is a problem with your bank account and gets you to tell them your bank card PIN. They might say there’s a fraudulent payment on your card or that someone has been arrested using your details. They then tell you that a courier will pick up your bank card, so that it can be cancelled. With your card and PIN, they can now use your card.

Helping with an investigation

A fraudulent caller may convince you that there is an investigation where they need you to withdraw cash or buy expensive items. This could be foreign or cryptocurrency, gold bullion, jewellery, mobile phones, or designer goods. They tell you this is required so that they can identify the corrupt person. The criminal may pose as a police officer.

Once you’ve bought the items or withdrawn the cash, they’ll ask you to give them to a courier or post them to an address, claiming they’ll transfer them to the police. They’ll then take the money or goods.

Transferring money to a “safe” account

A fraudster may also say that your bank account has been taken over and that you need to transfer your money to a new “safe” account. The new account is operated by the criminals, who then steal the funds.

Tips to stay safe:

• • If someone knocks at your front door claiming to be from a company, first check their ID. If you’re not happy, don’t let them in.
  • Never call the phone number on a salesperson’s ID card to check them out. Ask them to wait outside, shut the door, and find the company number on the internet. If they’re genuine, they’ll understand.
  • Banks and the police will never call you to verify your PIN. They won’t ask you to withdraw money or buy or send items on their behalf for investigations. Hang up if you get a call like this.
  • Always verify suspicious calls by contacting the organisation using a trusted phone number. Calling 159 will put you through to your bank. If calling back from a landline after a suspicious call, wait a few minutes as criminals may stay on the line after you hang up. Alternatively, use a different phone line to call your bank.
  • Never transfer money or make purchases on behalf of someone you don’t know.
  • If it’s an emergency, call the police on 999.
  • Report suspicious activity to Report Fraud, the UK’s national cybercrime and fraud reporting service.
  • The Metropolitan Police’s ‘Little Media series’ is a collection of 6 books and 22 videos, created to explain some of the most common types of fraud and provide advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of them.

We always include a message to share our newsletter with others. This month, we particularly encourage you to share our story so that we can hopefully help others avoid going through Sabrina’s experience.

HarperLees Fraud Checking Service

Finally, if you are contacted or ever in doubt over the legitimacy of an email or caller, please feel free to contact HarperLees. We will happily help you to verify if any contact is genuine.

Please email us at info@harperlees.co.uk or call 01277 350560 to find out more.

Please note

This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at individuals only.

All information is correct at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future.